Arrivals and departures at Leeds Bradford International Airport in Yorkshire, Northern England were suspended Friday afternoon due to reports of a drone sighting in the area. Several inbound flights were kept in a holding pattern and departures were being held on the ground. At least one flight, Eastern Airways flight E7601 from Southampton (SOU) to Leeds Bradford (LBA) diverted to Humberside (HUY) after holding in the LBA area for some time. Operations resumed at around 3 pm local time.
In December 2018, flight operations at London Gatwick were disrupted for several days after repeated reports of drone activity within the airport area. Drones pose a massive threat to the safety of all aircraft, and it is illegal in the UK to operate a drone within one kilometre of an active airport boundary.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.
