20 police teams to look for ‘UAV’ that shut down Delhi’s IGI airport
FLIGHTS DISRUPTED Sighting of drones by two pilots near airport sent security agencies in a tizzy; in a first, an FIR has been registered
The investigation by Delhi Police into the sighting of a drone-like object near Delhi airport, which halted flight operations twice on Sunday, may hit a dead end like it has in 15 similar cases reported since 2016.
Flight operations at Delhi airport were halted twice for around two hours on Sunday after pilots of two planes spotted a drone-like object. The pilot of an international airline first noticed a flying object during landing which led to the closure of runways from 11. 20 am to 12.20 pm.
In the evening, a pilot of Air Asia spotted a similar object and informed the ground staff, following which flight operations were halted for 40 minutes.
Pilots have complained of distractions such as laser lights and drone-like objects during landing in Delhi earlier too but since they give location of the object in nautical miles, it becomes difficult for the police to find the area from where they could have come.
Police have formed 20 teams, comprising three members each, to find the origin of the “unidentified aerial vehicle”. Neighbourhoods in Southwest Delhi, including Dwarka and Kapashera, have been searched so far. “Search operations are still on. We are looking at all possibilities. There are banquet halls in this area and people use drone cameras to record weddings, so our teams are investigating the halls too,” said Sanjay Bhatia, deputy commissioner of police (airport).
Bhatia said such searches usually don’t involve any equipment and police have to rely on interactions with the people living in the area. The police will also call the pilots to record their statement.
“We need some specific details of the location and objects that the pilots saw. We will also try to get a sketch prepared of the object,” said a police officer.
Beat constables have been alerted in Dwarka Sector 23 to keep an eye on drones.
Police officials said that both flying objects were seen near Dwarka Sector 23 and were 1.5 nautical miles away.
The IGI Airport is the busiest in the country and handles around 1,200 flight movements every day. During peak time, the airport handles up to 70 flights per hour.