About 1,000 passengers affected as flights diverted to Valencia, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca
Alicante, Spain — October 28, 2025.
National Police officers are looking for the proprietor of a drone that flew over Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport , forcing them to droop operations on Monday night.
The Airport has now resumed regular operations after being closed for 2 hours because of the detection of a drone close to its airspace.
Airport operator Aena reported the sighting at 8:53 p.m., prompting an instantaneous suspension of all take-offs and landings as a security precaution. Operations had been progressively restored at 11:00 p.m., following safety checks and clearance from air site visitors management.
During the shutdown, ten worldwide flights had been diverted to close by airports — seven to Valencia, one to Murcia, one to Barcelona, and one to Palma de Mallorca. Authorities estimate that round 1,000 passengers had been affected by the disruption, which triggered heightened safety alerts and coordination amongst aviation and regulation enforcement companies.
In line with protocol, airport administration knowledgeable the Civil Guard, which has opened an investigation. The National Police additionally deployed members of its Air Media Unit to the Torrellano space, close to the airport, in an try and find the gadget. Officers used the AeroScope detection system, a expertise able to figuring out and monitoring unauthorized drones in restricted airspace.
By midnight, flight operations had been returning to regular, with six delayed departures cleared for takeoff between 11:15 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Aena mentioned that whereas most providers had resumed, some late-night flights had been nonetheless experiencing delays.
Wider Drone Security Concerns
This newest incident highlights rising challenges confronted by Spanish airports following current drone-related disruptions. Similar occasions had been reported final week in Palma de Mallorca and earlier this month within the Canary Islands. Such incidents could cause important operational and monetary losses for airways and airport operators.
According to Spain’s State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), flying a drone with out authorization in managed airspace is assessed as a “very severe offense”, carrying fines of as much as €225,000, and might also result in legal prosecution.
Flights Diverted During Alicante Airport Closure
- TRA6145 (Transavia) – from Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS)
- RYR4696 (Ryanair) – from Lanzarote (ACE)
- EXS881 (Jet2.com) – from Manchester (MAN)
- RYR6366 (Ryanair) – from Krakow (KRK)
- EZY3357 (easyJet UK) – from Liverpool (LPL)
- RYR4027 (Ryanair) – from Manchester (MAN)
- RYR6647 (Ryanair) – from London-Stansted (STN)
- RYR4080 (Ryanair) – from Newcastle (NCL)
- RYR2663 (Ryanair) – from Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN)
- VY8322 (Vueling) – from Paris-Orly (ORY)**
Several departing flights had been additionally delayed, together with providers to Amsterdam (TRA6146), Liverpool (EZY3358), Manchester (RYR4028), and London-Stansted (RYR6646).
