The errant drone of an unknown operator shut down air traffic going in and out of Washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport for 45 minutes Thursday afternoon starting around 12:45 p.m., Politico reports.
The drone was spotted flying above one of the runways, prompting the FAA to announce a suspension of operations that was initially expected to last two hours. Four incoming flights were rerouted to other airports, and 70 other flights had their landings delays. Five outbound flights were canceled, and another 74 had their takeoffs delayed.
The FAA did not state how the threat from the drone was neutralized or if it simply flew away, nor did they say they had any leads on who owned and/or controlled the craft. Around the world, airports are dealing with a rising tide of drones invading their airspace. Authorities are attempting to devise methods such as signal blockers that would prevent drones from flying over protected ground.