(Representative image)

NEW DELHI: Emirates' Delhi-Dubai flight on Sunday was among the two flights that could not land at their destination city as the airport there had to be shut down for some time due to suspected drone activity . The flight, EK-511, had to be diverted to nearby Sharjah.

In a statement, Emirates said: " Dubai International airport (DXB) was closed from 12.36pm to 12.51pm local time due to suspected drone activity in the surrounding airspace. As a result, flight EK 433 from Brisbane and Singapore to DXB was diverted to Dubai World Central (DWC) and flight EK 511 from Delhi to DXB was diverted to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) ."

"The diverted flights will return to DXB as the airspace has now reopened. Emirates will assist affected passengers with alternative rebooking options and hotel accommodation where required. Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused but the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised," she added.

Unauthorised drone activity has seen a growing incidence of busy airports being forced to shut operations on either a particular runway or completely for some time. The affected airports in the past few months have included Delhi's IGIA, Singapore Changi and London Gatwick. Authorities globally are trying to tackle the menace of unauthorised flying of drones near airports.

