Singapore airport's operation disrupted due to unauthorized drone flying

changi airport
People look at planes from a viewing gallery in Singapore's Changi Airport. Reuters

Daily operations at one of two runways of Changi airport in Singapore, were closed for short periods on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the sightings of unauthorized drone, the aviation regulator confirmed.

Almost 37 scheduled departures and arrivals were affected because of this incident, which caused the delay at the airport, with one scheduled arrival diverted to Kuala Lumpur, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement.

CAAS said a multi-agency team including airport staff, the armed forces and police were activated to try to track down the source of the intrusion.

The regulator did not specify if more than one drone was involved.

Offenders could face a fine not exceeding S$20,000 (US$14,600) or a jail term of up to a year, or both, CAAS said.

In December, drone sightings caused three days of travel chaos at London's Gatwick airport, resulting in the cancellation or diversion of about 1,000 flights at an estimated cost of more than 50 million pounds ($63 million).

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