UK flights to Spain forced to divert due to unidentified drone spotted close to airport runway

By ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:20, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 08:26, 24 August 2026 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.  Incoming traffic was initially placed on hold, and after 30 minutes without any landings, the first flights were diverted to alternative 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.' The disruption lasted for over 50 minutes, with no arrivals and further diversions.  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.  Flights were diverted after a drone was spotted at Malaga Airports (File Picture)  Airport operator Aena said the Civil Guard had ruled out any security risks at Málaga Airport by 9.35pm, allowing operations to gradually return to normal.  Air traffic controllers, however, reported that landings had been suspended for more than 50 minutes because of safety concerns. Eight flights in total had to be diverted, seven to Seville Airport and one to Alicante.  The incident follows several drone sightings at European airports in the past few months. On August 5, an explosive-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig Halle Airport in 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.  Both the 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 Tuesday.  An anti-explosives robot was deployed to check an object near the south 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.   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.  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 on Wednesday and air traffic at Vilnius airport was temporarily suspended after a drone violated the ​country's 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.  Munich Airport again was forced to close last October after several 'military' drones were spotted hovering over the travel hub. Federal police confirmed the drone sightings, but said no information on the type and size of the devices could be provided. In September of 2025, several airports were forced to temporarily close due to drone sightings, including the Copenhagen and Oslo 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. 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.