This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
On a peak summer travel day, flights to and from Leeds Bradford Airport in Northern England were grounded for nearly an hour on Friday afternoon after a drone was spotted in the area.
According to a spokesperson for the airport, the drone was seen by a pilot on an inbound flight at 13:55. The necessary safety procedures were immediately activated, resulting in the airport being closed for 45 minutes and a flight being diverted to Manchester Airport.
Stranded passengers took to social media to express their frustration, with one passenger tweeting, "Stuck on a plane at #LeedsBradford Airport because there's a drone flying nearby. All flights halted."
Leeds Bradford Airport, the 15th busiest in the UK, experienced significant delays during the peak summer travel season. The incident comes on the heels of several high-profile drone incidents near airports in the past year, including a major disruption at London's Gatwick airport in December.
The airport has confirmed that it is fully open and receiving flights again. West Yorkshire Police are liaising with the airport regarding the incident.
