Dubai Airport Shut Saturday for Over an Hour – 22 Flights Diverted

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport for international travel, closed its airspace for 69 minutes due to unauthorized drone activity on Saturday, causing 22 flights to be diverted, aviation authorities said. Government-owned Dubai Airports, which operates Dubai’s two main airports, said in a statement the closure lasted between 11:36 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., and Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said thousands of passengers suffered disruption to their journeys. Sixteen of the diverted flights went to Dubai World Central, Dubai’s other main airport, a Dubai Airports spokesperson told Reuters. Dubai, a trade, tourism and investment hub for the Gulf region, is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The flying of drones is prohibited within 5 km (3 miles) of airports, helipads, landing areas or manned aircraft in the UAE.