Unauthorised drones delay two easyJet flights over safety concerns

Unauthorised drone activity around Gibraltar airport delayed two easyJet flights to London on Monday night, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

There is no confirmation as to who was flying the drones but investigators believe they were likely linked to illicit smuggling activity on Spanish side of the border, the Chronicle understands.

One passenger said his flight to Gatwick was delayed for around two hours on the tarmac after boarding at 8pm, finally departing at 10.15pm and arriving in London in the early hours. The other delayed flight was the easyJet service to Manchester.

“Following the sighting of unauthorised drones in the vicinity of the airport, two flights were temporarily held as a precaution until airspace was confirmed as clear,” a spokesperson for British Forces Gibraltar told the Chronicle.

“We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites.”

This is the second time this year that commercial flights have been disrupted due to unauthorised drone activity in the vicinity of the runway, which is operated by the Ministry of Defence.

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

UK DEVELOPMENTS

The incident in Gibraltar came hours before UK Defence Secretary John Healey announced new powers to allow the military to shoot down drones around bases in the UK mainland.

Drones have been sighted at military bases including some used by US forces in the UK while countries across Europe have also experienced disruption, with speculation Russia could be behind some of the incidents.

The new powers to protect military bases will be included in the Armed Forces Bill, with Mr Healey pledging to “do what’s needed to defend the British people”.

The UK sent specialist counter-drone experts to Denmark in September after suspicious activity, while last year a number of unidentified drones were spotted on multiple occasions over three airbases used by US forces in the UK – RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk.

Russia’s extensive use of the technology in the invasion of Ukraine has seen more than 3,000 one-way attack drones deployed so far in October, following 5,500 in September.

Mr Healey used a speech in London to explain this is part of wider aggression by Vladimir Putin’s state across Europe.

“Russian aggression has escalated, it’s extended even further west,” he said.

More attack drones are launched into Ukraine every month, with 19 crossing the border into Poland last month and Russian jets violating Estonian airspace days later, he said.

He noted Russia had at the same time mounted a “concerted campaign to subvert the Moldovan election”.

“And here at home, we continue to defend ourselves daily against threats ranging from the seabed to cyberspace.”

“And we will always do what’s needed to defend the British people and as we speak, we are developing new legal powers to bring down unidentified drones over UK military bases.”