The airline accused the Transport Minister of being “asleep on the job” and “all talk and no action”.
Ryanair has called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to “do something” to protect Dublin Airport from drone disruptions.
The airline issued the statement on Tuesday evening after Dublin Airport announced that it had suspended flight operations for 30 minutes on account of illegal drone activity.
Just after 8.45 pm, the airport posted the following to Twitter:
Due to illegal drone activity in the vicinity of Dublin Airport, all flight operations are currently suspended. Further updates will follow…
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) February 21, 2023
In a later update, it added: “Flight operations at Dublin Airport have now resumed after a suspension of 30 minutes.
“We would remind drone users that it is illegal to fly a drone within 5km of the airport. Severe punishments must follow for anyone found guilty.”
In its statement, Ryanair said Tuesday night’s incident was the fifth time in four weeks that Dublin Airport has closed due to drone disruptions.
It also said that the closure caused “multiple delays,” disrupting “hundreds of passengers”.
A Ryanair spokesperson said:
“It is unacceptable that more Ryanair flights and hundreds of passengers have again suffered disruptions and delays as Dublin Airport closed for a fifth time in four weeks due to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan’s failure to take any action to prevent drone disruptions at Dublin Airport. As always, Minister Ryan promises ‘stronger enforcement measures’ but delivers nothing.
“Minister Ryan should explain why other EU Airports have effective drone prevention measures in place but Dublin keeps being disrupted while he is asleep on the job. Sadly, our Transport Minister is all talk and no action when it comes to drone disruptions.”
Main image via Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
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