If you are scheduled for a flight into or out of Newark Liberty International Airport Tuesday night — check with your airline.
A ground stop was ordered Tuesday night at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey due to drone activity in the skies near the airport.
Some flights were held at their points of departure in order to slow down incoming traffic at Newark.
Two drones were seen at around 5 pm at around 3,500 feet above Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, New Jersey, right next door to Newark Airport, Federation Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson Gregory Martin said.
Teterboro Airport is about 20 miles north of Newark Liberty International Airport. The ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport was considered a precautionary measure.
Pilots described seeing what “looks like a drone” within 30 feet of the plane on its final approach, according to audio from Air Traffic Control. “Missed the drone by about 30 feet off our right wing,” the pilot said.
Similar drone activity also recently caused a shutdown a London’s Heathrow Airport in the UK. A month prior, flights were suspended at Gatwick Airport – twice in the same week – also because of drone activity. There were two arrests as a result.