Delhi airport shut for 40 mins after drone spotted

The Delhi international airport was shut for around 40 minutes on Sunday evening after a pilot reported spotting a “drone” in the area.

All the three runways of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the busiest in the country, was closed soon after an AirAsia India pilot informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) about spotting a flying object, which he said could be a drone.

Sources said the pilot spotted the drone-like object near southwest Delhi’s Dwarka, which is very close to the airport, at 7:09 pm. After adequate checks, the security establishment cleared the opening of the airport around 7:55 pm.

During this period, at least a dozen planes were diverted. Some of the flights, including international services, were delayed or diverted, sources said.

Two Air India flights were diverted to Lucknow and Ahmedabad, while one each of GoAir and IndiGo were diverted to Jaipur.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had in April last year issued a draft regulation, which proposes to allow the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including drones, with strict control.

The draft said those planning civilian use of UAS need to obtain an operator’s permit and Unique Identification Number from the DGCA.