Drone-like Objects Above Yamaguchi Pref. Airport Force Runway Closure; Flight from Haneda Airport Rerouted

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:50 JST, December 24, 2024

YAMAGUCHI — Multiple drone-like objects were spotted over the runway at Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Sunday night, causing the runway to be closed for about an hour, according to government officials.

About 240 people on two flights were affected by the incident.

The airport shares a runway with the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.

According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry’s Iwakuni Airport office, the runway was closed after air traffic controllers spotted the drone-like objects at about 7 p.m. An All Nippon Airways flight from Haneda to Iwakuni was unable to land and changed its destination to Hiroshima Airport in Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, and its return flight to Haneda was also delayed. The Yamaguchi prefectural police are investigating the incident.

Issues involving drones have recently been reported in the vicinity of airports and defense-related facilities that are designated as no-fly zones.

In December 2022, a drone-like object was observed flying near Naha Airport in Naha, forcing the runway to be closed, affecting a total of seven flights.

In March of this year, it was discovered that videos of what appeared to be aerial drone shots of the destroyer Izumo docked at the Maritime Self-Defense Force Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture were posted on Chinese video sharing sites.