Dubai - This is the second such incident in two months. Such airport closures can cost up to $1 million per minute!
Published: Sun 30 Oct 2016, 9:01 PM
Last updated: Mon 31 Oct 2016, 7:52 AM
Drone activity has yet again caused upset to travellers at Dubai International Airport (DXB) as the area was brought to a close on Saturday evening.
"Airspace around Dubai International was closed from 1925 hrs (7:25pm) to 2045 hrs (8:45pm)on Saturday due to unauthorised drone activity resulting in the diversion of 22 inbound flights," a Dubai Airports spokesperson confirmed.
It further stated that it was "working closely with its stakeholders to return operations to normal" to minimise customer inconvenience.
It also confirmed the news on Twitter at 9.27pm.
Using the official @DubaiAirports handle, it tweeted: "Airspace around DXB was closed from 1925hrs to 2049hrs on Saturday due to unauthorised drone activity resulting in flight diversions."
Speaking from the runway at Al Ain airport at 9.20pm, Indian tourist Harsh Man Rai told Khaleej Times him and his wife were on board Jet Airways flight 9W544, which was due to land at DXB from Mumbai at 8.35pm.
"The pilot said that due to unforeseen circumstances Dubai Airport closed indefinitely. We are now in Al Ain."
Rai said they were being kept on the aircraft, and at 9.40pm passengers were informed that they would likely remain there for the "next 15 to 20 minutes" as they were waiting for the runway to clear at DXB.
"We have been informed that all planes that were diverted to Al Ain have been given clearance to take off and proceed to DXB but now they all need to refuel, which will likely take some time," he added.
The Dubai Airports statement continued:
Twitter posts indicated that flights were being transferred temporarily to Jebel Ali and Al Ain airports.
At 8.38pm, @ENG_alzarooni tweeted: "Eight pilots were diverted to Jebel Ali and two to Al Ain"
Sadly, this is one of many times the airport has been forced to shut due to drone activity.
Back in June air traffic was brought to a standstill for more than an hour at DXB following the presence of an unauthorised drone in the airspace.
It was the second time such an incident happened in less than two months in Dubai
And in January last year 2015, a similar incident brought air traffic to a standstill for 55 minutes - and it apparently led to a reported estimated loss of $55 million, according to Michael Rudolph, head of aviation regulation and safety at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).
Drone tracking technology in DubaiIn April, officials announced that Dubai will soon become the first place in the world to implement real-time tracking software to monitor the operations of commercial drones in restricted airspace.
The Exponent Portal software - which was publicly unveiled during a live demonstration at the World Aviation Safety Summit in Dubai - will allow DCAA officials and other authorities to track the location, speed and height of drones, as well as view and record material being collected by the drone's on-board camera.
The system works through a 160-gramme add-on that is to be fitted onto drones before flight.
Using the Exponent Portal, both the DCAA and the drone operator are immediately notified-including via near-instant SMS messages - when the drone strays outside of a pre-determined "geo-fenced" area in which the vehicle is permitted to fly.
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Drone danger
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said that a drone potentially striking an aircraft could be very dangerous.
"Depending on the size of the drone, some of which can be as large as a light single-seat helicopter, the risk is that a jet could well be brought down," he noted. "While engines are robustly tested for many types of ingestion, particularly birds, this new phenomenon with drones means that any collision could cause severe damage depending on the stage of flight - whether at taxi on the ground, take-off or landing.
"Any structural impact on any sized airplane would force an emergency. This may well lead to an airport or airspace closure or restriction."
Cost of mishaps = $1 million per minute
"Sudden airport closures like what we've seen at Dubai International can run into millions of dirhams very easily," Ahmad noted. "With the knock-on effect of flights diverting, mis-stationing crew, baggage and passengers, and the cost of then either transporting them back to their origin or putting them up in hotels, costs rapidly escalate.
"The airport too has to factor in the loss of revenue that cannot land. Even a simple drone incursion can have damaging effects."
Speaking at the World Aviation Safety Summit held in Dubai earlier this year, Michael Rudolph, head of Aviation Regulation and Safety at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), said "$1 million per minute - that's what it cost the economy of Dubai."
Earlier this year, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) noted that it is working with companies selling drones in the country to inform customers of regulations around owning drones and regulate their operations.
Current UAE drone regulations - which were introduced in April 2015 - primarily relate to commercial licensing and use of drones, but are being constantly developed further, according to GCAA officials.
Also read: Tips for smart drone flights
"The GCAA is required to authorise the operation of civil unmanned aerial vehicles within civil airspace over the territory of the UAE," GCAA Air Navigation Inspector Waleed Al Riyami told Khaleej Times. "The majority of applications we receive - 90 per cent - are for small drones weighing 5kg or less."
Additionally, the GCAA noted that it is currently working to improve its e-service applications by including the required approvals from other government entities such as the Ministry of Defence, Department of Transport and local municipalities to ease the process for applicants.
It currently takes between one and two weeks for applications to be received and for approval - or denial - to be given.
Recent drone incidents:
- September 2016: In a two-day span, two pilots reported close encounters with drones near Statford Municipal Airport in Canada.
- June 2016: A drone forced the closure of Dubai International Airport for 69 minutes.
- April 2016: Drone strikes British Airways plane at Heathrow Airport. At approximately 12.50am, a pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft.
- March 2016: A drone came within a close range of 200 feet of hitting a Lufthansa jet near Los Angeles International Airport on March 18. The pilot of a Lufthansa A380 approaching the airport reported that a drone passed about overhead around 1.30pm.
- January 2015: Recreational drones forced the closure of Dubai airport for 55 minutes after they veered dangerously close to the flight path of commercial airliners. As a result, some aircraft had to be diverted to Al Maktoum Airport in Jebel Ali.
Kelly@khaleejtimes.com (with inputs from Bernd Debusmann Jr.)
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