Dublin Airport grounds flights for 30 minutes after drone spotted over runways

All flights were suspended over Dublin Airport for around 30 minutes this morning after a drone was sighted over the runways.

The airport said the decision was made for safety reasons advised passengers to contact their airline for updates.

However the Airport later announced that flight operations resumed.

A spokesperson said: "We apologise for any inconvenience. The safety and security of passengers is always our key priority."

Current Irish laws restrict the use of drones including an exclusion zone of 5km around airports.

Last month, the Department of Transport said a detailed risk assessment was to be carried out to assess if Irish airports are prepared for potential drone activity.

The meeting was organised after Gatwick and Heathrow airports saw thousands of flights grounded due to drones in December and January.

A three-day suspension before Christmas caused chaos at Gatwick as tens of thousands of frustrated passengers struggled to get to destinations for the holiday season.

On January 8,  Heathrow Airport suspended flights for about an hour due to reports of drones at the huge transport hub.

A few weeks ago, flights were suspended at Newark Airport in New Jersey after reports of drone sightings there.