Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernàndez Airport became the latest in Spain to suspend operations after drones were reported in its airspace on 27 October 2025.
Flights were suspended for nearly two hours after air traffic controllers detected at least one drone near the airport perimeter. As a safety measure, all departing flights were cancelled and nine incoming planes – from London, Manchester, Newcastle, Durham and Frankfurt – were diverted to Valencia, Murcia and Palma de Mallorca airports.
AENA confirmed the incident, writing that “due to the presence of a drone in the vicinity of the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, flight diversions are occurring. We are working together with the Security Forces to normalize operations as soon as possible. Check with your airline for the status of your flight.”
📣 Por presencia de #dron en los alrededores del #Aeropuerto de #Alicante–#Elche Miguel Hernández se están produciendo desvíos.
— Aena (@aena) October 27, 2025
➡️ Trabajamos conjuntamente con las Fuerzas y Cuerpos de Seguridad para normalizar la operativa lo antes posible.
📲 Consulta con tu compañía aérea… pic.twitter.com/hN3k9IYN4D
Before reopening, a spokesperson for Alicante-Elche Airport said that flights would resume only after “it is safe to operate again.”
The police have launched an investigation to identify the drone operators and have deployed a specialist aerial unit to locate the devices, which are believed to have been spotted in the Torrellano area. The airport reopened shortly before 11 pm once air traffic control had declared the area secure. Passengers were advised to expect long delays following the airport’s closure.
AENA later displayed a warning banner on its website in Spanish and English, reminding passengers and hobbyists that using unauthorised drones within eight kilometres of an airport is strictly prohibited. The English message read, “The use of non-authorised drones within the airport precinct or facilities poses a major risk to flight operations”.
El Aeropuerto de Alicante-Elche opera hoy martes 28 de octubre con total normalidad, tras el incidente provocado anoche por la presencia de drones en las inmediaciones pic.twitter.com/HpQyIRq6jm
— Aeropuerto Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández (@ALC_Airport) October 28, 2025
The Spanish-language banner redirects users to the Spanish Civil Aviation Authority (AESA), which issues warnings about the dangers of irresponsible drone use around airports and states that such behaviour can result in fines of up to €225,000. The official ENAIRE Drones portal (drones.enaire.es) provides detailed maps of restricted and controlled zones for unmanned aircraft operations across Spain.
Similar disruptions have occurred before, such as the incident in October at Palma de Mallorca, where a drone sighting forced a temporary suspension of all take-offs and landings. Several flights were diverted after crew members reported a drone hovering near the runways. A comparable incident near Fuerteventura Airport in late September also prompted diversions.
🛫 Drone disrupts Mallorca airport — dozens of flights diverted
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 20, 2025
Last night, Palma de Mallorca Airport suspended operations after a drone was spotted in the sky. More than a dozen flights had to be diverted, according to Diario de Mallorca and Flightradar24.
The incident was… pic.twitter.com/vR3b9VnzW4
These incidents are part of a wider trend of drone and hot air balloon incursions in Europe that have raised concerns among aviation authorities. In 2025, Lithuania and Poland reported hundreds of cases of balloons and drones crossing their airspace, which officials described as ‘hybrid attacks’, linked to Russia, allegedly intended to gather information and destabilise the region.
From Spain to Scandinavia, drone sightings near airports, energy facilities, and military bases are increasingly being treated as potential security threats rather than as isolated acts of mischief. While there is no evidence that the Alicante incident was linked to any malicious foreign actors, the regional context helps to explain the heightened vigilance.
Spain enforces some of the strictest drone regulations in Europe. Operators, whether residents or tourists, must register, complete mandatory training and hold valid insurance before flying. Drones are banned near crowds, cities and airports without explicit authorisation.
Last July, a British tourist learnt this the hard way when he was fined €200,000 by the police for illegally flying a drone at a Spanish festival. Officers tracked the device and located the operator, who had neither registered the drone nor obtained authorisation to fly it.
