N.J. drone sighting disrupts 40 flights

More than 40 flights headed to Newark Liberty International Airport were disrupted as the airport temporarily shut down arrivals Tuesday after a pilot reported a drone flying within about 30 feet.

A pilot on a Southwest Airlines flight first reported the device at 4:44 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. When the crew on a second flight operated by United Airlines made a similar report three minutes later, air traffic controllers in the region sent arrivals into holding patterns.

At least one of the flight crews reported the drone was within 30 feet of a collision, according to the FAA statement. That prompted a temporary halt to 43 arriving flights, nine of which had to divert.

The agency resumed arrivals within an hour, but had to delay dozens of other flights through the evening in an attempt to ease congestion from the initial event.

The swift reaction at Newark, a major hub in the New York metropolitan area, stoked fears of drone disruptions as U.S. regulators seek to expand civilian uses of the robotic aircraft while tightening security.

In the U.K., London’s Gatwick Airport was disrupted over three successive days last month after drone sightings. Heathrow Airport briefly shut down earlier this month when drone sightings near its runways raised safety concerns.