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Dubai airport shuts one hour due to drone trespassing

Xinhua, June 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was forced to close for 69 minutes on Saturday due to trespassing of an unidentified drone, Dubai daily Gulf news reported.

All flights between 11:36 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. local time (between 0736 GMT and 0845 GMT) were disrupted and dozens were delayed, the report said.

Flights scheduled to arrive at the airport were diverted to neighboring Al Maktoum International Airport, Sharjah International Airport in the north and Fujairah International Airport in the southeast of the UAE.

Dubai Airports, owner and manager of DXB, is working "to restore operations and minimize customer inconvenience," according to a DXB statement.

The statement also stressed that all unmanned aerial vehicle activities are strictly prohibited "in restricted areas including within five kilometers of any airport or landing area."

Nine other areas in the Gulf Arab emirate allow individuals or institutions using drones only on condition of required government approval.

78 million passengers arrived at and departed from DXB in 2015, making the airport the busiest in the world pertaining to international travelers.

Over 80 percent use it as a hub to journey on, making it the biggest civil aviation hub in the Middle East. Endit