Drone sightings near Gib runway prompt investigations on both sides of border 

By Brian Reyes and Maria Jesus Corrales 

Authorities on both sides of the border have launched investigations after drones spotted near Gibraltar’s runway caused disruption to flights on two consecutive days last weekend.  

Commercial flights departing from the Rock were delayed on Saturday and Sunday after drones were sighted near the runway, while an RAF flight heading to the Rock on Saturday had to be diverted to Portugal as a safety precaution.  

The incidents, which appear to involve drones sighted on the Spanish side of the border, have become increasingly common and follow several similar sightings earlier this year. 

Last month, two easyJet flights were delayed leaving Gibraltar after drones were spotted near the runway, and flights were disrupted on two separate occasions last January for the same reason.   

Earlier this week the Chronicle contacted the Ministry of Defence, which operates the runway, the Gibraltar Government and the Royal Gibraltar Police to ask for an evaluation of the drone incidents and information on what was being done in response. 

But the matter is being taken “extremely seriously” and there was a reluctance to comment in detail publicly given ongoing investigations. 

“RAF Gibraltar takes passenger safety extremely seriously and, in coordination with flight operators, will make changes to flight details as necessary should any risk to passenger safety be identified,” a spokesperson for British Forces Gibraltar told the Chronicle. 

“The MoD continues to work with the Gibraltar authorities and the Royal Gibraltar Police to investigate illegal drone operators and ensure drone usage in Gibraltar is both safe and legal.” 

A Gibraltar Government spokesperson said: “The Government is taking steps to prevent this type of interference with aircraft operations.” 

The RGP has not yet responded to our questions. 

Under Gibraltar law, it is an offence to fly a drone without permission from the Director of Civil Aviation.  

British Forces Gibraltar said its capabilities, tactics, techniques, and procedures are constantly evaluated to ensure its sites are kept secure.  

But the drones impacting Gibraltar airport are believed to be linked to smuggling activity in neighbouring Spain, bringing a cross-border dimension that adds further complexity to any response. 

On Wednesday, Spain’s Guardia Civil confirmed that a specialist drone unit, known as Pegaso (Policía Especialista en Gestión Aeronáutica y de Seguridad Operacional), was also investigating the weekend incidents. 

“The Pegaso team is aware and the matter is under investigation,” a Guardia Civil spokesperson in the Algeciras headquarters told the Chronicle, adding no further detail. 

Spanish law enforcement agencies have, in recent times, cracked down on illegal drone use by smuggling gangs. 

Earlier this month, the Guardia Civil said it had broken up a drug trafficking organisation that transported cannabis resin across the Strait of Gibraltar using fixed-wing drones. 

Nine people were arrested and eighteen drones seized, ten of which were undergoing modification in a workshop. 

The operation was carried out in cooperation with Morocco’s Royal Gendarmerie and coordinated by Europol, with the people arrested being mostly east European nationals from areas currently affected by armed conflict, and who had extensive technical knowledge in handling and modifying unmanned aircraft. 

And while the suspicion is that the drones may be linked to smuggling, the incidents come against international concern about drone activity near military bases, including some used by US forces in the UK.  

Likewise, other countries across the EU have also experienced disruption near airports, with speculation Russia could be behind some of the incidents elsewhere in Europe.  

The Pegaso teams are “air police” units created by the Guardia Civil in 2016  with the sole aim of addressing new airspace threats to public safety in Spain, whether for criminal or terrorist purposes. 

Given the increased general use of drones by the wider population, the Pegaso unit has been tasked with the prevention and control of incidents related to this type of device in Spain.  

Among other resources, they are equipped with a “Global Counter-Drone System” capable of detecting, identifying and neutralising unauthorised unmanned aircraft.