Dutch airport runway temporarily closed following drone sighting

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA)—The Polderbaan runway at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands was temporarily closed for 45 minutes after a drone was spotted on Saturday.

The Polderbaan runway at Schiphol Airport was closed for about 45 minutes in the afternoon after pilots and plane spotters reported a drone flying at an altitude of about 150 meters (492.13 feet), according to the public broadcaster NOS.

Neither the drone nor its operator was found, and it was "presumably a hobbyist," as the drone had not been seen elsewhere, according to local authorities.

The temporary closure came at a time when multiple EU states, including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, and Denmark, reported airspace violations or disruptions by drones, some confirmed to be of Russian origin.