Drone Intrudes Into Ben Gurion Airport Airspace, Halting Flights Briefly

On Tuesday at 11:40 AM, a civilian drone entered the airspace of Ben Gurion Airport, causing a temporary local lockdown that lasted several minutes. The intrusion was first noticed by a control room employee, who spotted the drone approaching the airport's airspace. The drone was then tracked entering the airport's municipal area, prompting immediate activation of control, operational, and security teams at the airport, alongside police officers tasked with locating the drone operator.

Using monitoring systems and ground observations, airport staff identified the drone's origin and directed police forces to the operator's location. The drone pilot was found within an hour of the initial sighting. Upon questioning, it was revealed that the drone flight was not related to any security threat but was conducted to film a promotional video for a construction company.

The Israel Airports Authority issued a warning following the incident, emphasizing that unauthorized drone flights near Ben Gurion Airport pose serious risks to aviation safety. They reiterated that flying drones in restricted airspace without proper authorization and in violation of legal regulations is prohibited. This event follows a similar drone intrusion at the airport the previous Wednesday, marking the second such incident within a week.