3 Feb, 2020 @ 14:28
1 min read

BREAKING: Spain’s Madrid airport reopens as police hunt DRONE pilot responsible for shutting down runway after 22 flights diverted to Alicante, Valencia

madrid airport
FEAR: Brits travelling to Spain will be hoping they will not face delays over the new year

SPANISH police are actively hunting a drone pilot responsible for shutting down Madrid airport. 

At least on drone was spotted flying in the airspace by two pilots earlier today, forcing the airport to divert all flights and cancel departures.

The shutdown was in place until at least 2.40pm today but according to AENA, the airport is already back open.

At least 22 flights were diverted, mostly to Valencia, with the rest heading to Barcelona, Alicante-Elche, Valladolid and Zaragoza.

It comes just over a year since London Gatwick Airport was forced to close from December 19 to 21 2018 when drones repeatedly flew in and around its airspace.

The chaos affected some 140,000 passengers and around 1,000 flights.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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