Tokyo: Iwakuni Airport in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture, which is used by both civilian and US military aircraft, temporarily closed its runway due to information about several drones possibly entering its airspace, the NHK broadcaster reported.
According to the channel, at about 7 p.m. Sunday (10:00 GMT), the Japanese Transport Ministry received information that “several drones had entered the airspace” of Iwakuni Airport. Aircraft operations resumed about an hour later.
As a result of the incident, a flight from Tokyo had to be rerouted to Hiroshima Airport for landing and refueling. It landed in Iwakuni with a delay of about three hours.
Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating whether drones had actually flown into the airport’s area.
