On Sunday night, incoming UK and Irish flights to Spain were diverted due to an unidentified drone spotted near the runway of Malaga Airport, with eight total flights redirected to nearby airports. The disruption lasted over 50 minutes, with no landings during that time, according to air traffic controllers. Seven flights were diverted to Seville and one to Alicante, after a temporary suspension of operations was issued by Spain's state air navigation manager Enaire due to safety concerns. This is the latest in a series of recent drone sightings at European airports.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
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Story summary
On Sunday night, August 6 (presumably), flights from the UK and Ireland to Malaga Airport in Spain were forced to divert due to a drone being spotted near runway 12. The incident occurred around 9pm, prompting incoming flights, including those from cities like London, Birmingham, and Cork, to be diverted to nearby airports, primarily Seville. Flight crews reported seeing the drone as they prepared to land, leading air traffic controllers to place incoming traffic on hold for 30 minutes before diverting flights to alternative airports. The disruption lasted over 50 minutes, with no arrivals during that time. The sighting of the drone prompted a temporary suspension of operations at Malaga Airport due to safety concerns.
Written for “Drone Diverts Flights” on 2026-08-31,
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Flights from the UK and Ireland to Spain were forced to divert on Sunday night after a drone was spotted near an airport runway.
The drone was spotted near runway 12 at Malaga Airport at around 9pm, prompting incoming flights from cities including London, Birmingham, Bristol and Cork to divert to nearby airports, primarily Seville.
Several flight crews reported seeing the aircraft as they prepared to land, according to an account released by air traffic controllers.
uncertain
they → see → controllers
Incoming traffic was initially placed on hold, and after 30 minutes without any landings, the first flights were diverted to alternative airports.
asserted
flights → place → airports
Spain's state air navigation manager Enaire issued a warning saying: 'The sighting of a drone approaching Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport requires a temporary suspension of operations for safety.'
asserted
sighting → issue → safety
The disruption lasted for over 50 minutes, with no arrivals and further diversions.
asserted
disruption → last → arrivals
The incident was also recorded on the Eurocontrol Operations Portal with a 'rate' of zero, indicating that no landings could be assigned.
The procedure for these incidents is to suspend operations and notify the State Security Forces.
uncertain
procedure → record → Forces
Flights were diverted after a drone was spotted at Malaga Airport (File Picture)
Airport operator Aena said the Civil Guard had ruled out any security risks at Malaga Airport by 9.35pm, allowing operations to gradually return to normal.
asserted
operations → divert → 9.35pm
Air traffic controllers, however, reported that landings had been suspended for more than 50 minutes because of safety concerns.
asserted
landings → report → concerns
Eight flights in total had to be diverted, seven to Seville and one to Alicante.
asserted
flights → have → Alicante
The incident follows several drone sightings at European airports in the past few months.
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incident → follow → months
On August 5, an explosive-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany.
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drone → lade → Germany
The airport in eastern Germany plays a key role in the transport of military goods, including by the German military and Nato allies, and also serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.
The country's top security official warned that the incident signals a 'new quality of danger', intensifying concerns over potential new Russian hybrid tactics across Europe.
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incident → play → Europe
Both runways at the major freight hub were closed and several flights, including one passenger plane, were diverted to other airports after a flying object was sighted nearby shortly before midnight.
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object → close → midnight
An anti-explosives robot was deployed to check an object near the south runway.
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robot → deploy → runway
Video footage from a local news agency showed the bomb disposal robot near an Antonov plane painted with the Ukrainian colours yellow and blue and with the words 'Be Brave Like Kherson' written on the side, a reference to a Ukrainian region battered by Russian strikes.
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footage → show → strikes
In May, Munich Airport halted all flights after a possible drone sighting, just one day after a Russian drone hit an apartment block in Romania.
uncertain
drone → halt → Romania
On August 5, an explosive-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany
Video footage from a local news agency showed the bomb disposal robot near an Antonov plane painted with Ukrainian colours
That same month, Lithuanian lawmakers were forced to shelter underground and air traffic at Vilnius Airport was temporarily suspended after a drone violated the country's airspace.
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drone → lade → airspace
The Nato and European Union member state also suspended train traffic around the capital Vilnius, while schools and kindergartens were told to take children to shelters.
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schools → suspend → shelters
Munich Airport again was forced to close last October after several 'military' drones were spotted hovering over the travel hub.
asserted
drones → force → hub
Federal police confirmed the drone sightings, but said no information on the type and size of the devices could be provided.
uncertain
information → confirm → devices
In September last year, several airports were forced to temporarily close due to drone sightings, including the Copenhagen and Oslo airports.
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airports → force → airports
That same month, drones were reported to have been seen by police and armed forces within a space of two and a half hours at Norway's Orland Main Air Station, the country's air force base.
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drones → report → Station
It comes as Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.
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officials → come → Ukraine
