Mystery drone sighting delays flights at Iwakuni Airport in Japan

An unidentified drone was reportedly spotted in the sky above Iwakuni Airport, whose runways are used by both civilian aircraft and the aviation units of the United States Marine Corps base in Iwakuni.

The incident occurred on December 22 at around 19:00 local time, when a report of an unknown drone in flight was received by the local office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Caliber.Az reports via Japanese media.

This led to delays in commercial flights operating from the airport.

For example, the Tokyo-Iwakuni flight was diverted to Hiroshima Airport, located nearby, and later flew to Iwakuni, arriving with a three-hour delay. Flight safety was confirmed by 20:00 local time.

To recap, many mysterious drones have been spotted flying over New Jersey and across the eastern US, sparking concerns and speculation regarding their origin and purpose.

In response, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed temporary flight bans on drones in 22 areas of New Jersey and 30 areas in New York, primarily around New York City and Long Island, where critical infrastructure is located. The restrictions, requested by federal security agencies, will remain in place until mid-January.

The FBI, Homeland Security, and state agencies are investigating the sightings. However, officials have stated there is no evidence to suggest the drones pose a national security or public safety threat. Many of the sightings have turned out to be legal drones, manned aircraft, helicopters, or even stars.

By Aghakazim Guliyev