Drone causes delays at Lanzarote Airport

The appearance of an unauthorised drone near Lanzarote Airport brought air traffic to a standstill on Sunday afternoon, with all take-offs and landings temporarily halted for safety reasons.

According to a report published by Air Traffic Controllers on their X profile, the incident occurred at around 4:30pm. For several minutes, planes were unable to land or depart from the island’s main airport.

Operations resumed shortly afterwards. “With the airport’s approval, operations resumed,” Air Traffic Controllers noted.

The State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) has warned that fines for such activity vary widely depending on the nature of the drone use. For recreational operators, penalties range from 60 euros to 225,000 euros. In addition to any fine, the offender may also be required to pay compensation for property damage caused to third parties.

For professional drone use, the financial consequences are even steeper, with penalties ranging from 4,500 euros up to a maximum of 4.5 million euros.