Aer Lingus pilot reports sighting of large drone close to Dublin Bay
An Aer Lingus pilot reported sighting a large, black drone near Dublin Bay at 6,000ft, prompting an investigation by Irish authorities. The incident occurred amidst significant air traffic disruptions across the UK and Ireland.
Why it matters
Unidentified drone sightings near commercial flight paths pose significant aviation safety risks and security concerns.
A civilian aircraft operating over the Irish Sea has reported seeing a large drone close to Dublin Bay.
The pilot of the Aer Lingus plane reported the sighting to Dublin Air Traffic Control at around 5.20pm on Tuesday.
The report came at a time widespread flight disruptions in the UK and Ireland due to air traffic control issues in London. Around 50 flights operating in and out of Dublin were cancelled, as were around 600 others in the UK.
According to a record of air traffic control transmissions, the Aer Lingus pilot reported the drone was operating at 6,000ft and was about 3km to the aircraft’s left side at it flew into Dublin from Cornwall.
The pilot reported the drone was about “10 miles” from LAPMO, a navigation point near Howth in north Co Dublin. That would put it somewhere off the Co Wicklow coast.
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