The observation of drones near the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport forced this Wednesday to suspend air traffic for about half an hour and even hijack 21 planes to alternative airfields for landing.
This was confirmed to EFE by a spokesperson for Enaire, director of air navigation, after the drones spotted in its neighborhood.
About half an hour after notification air circulation has been reactivated after the Civil Guard confirmed that there had been no new sightings, according to Enaire, who explained that this measure is part of the security protocol activated in these cases.
If there are planes waiting, then they have priority for landing, leading to takeoff delays, explained Enaire, who delay time is not quantifiedwhile emphasizing that the incident was resolved within half an hour. According to information provided by airport manager Aena, 21 flights out of the 1,034 scheduled for Wednesday had to be diverted.
