Ireland Investigates Drone Sighting Off Coast

Irish authorities are investigating a report of a large, unidentified black drone-like object sighted off the coast of County Wicklow. The sighting occurred on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, as an Aer Lingus Regional flight approached Dublin Airport. The pilot reported the object at an altitude of approximately 6,000 feet and about 3 kilometers away, according to air traffic control transmissions. Dublin Air Traffic Control noted that the object was not visible on their radar at the time of the report. AirNav Ireland, which manages Irish airspace, confirmed that a safety report was filed and the sighting was subsequently reported to An Garda Síochána, the national police force. Gardaí have stated they are investigating the alleged sighting of an unconfirmed object over the Irish Sea. The object was reportedly located outside Ireland’s 12-nautical-mile territorial limit. The incident occurred concurrently with significant disruptions to air traffic control operations in the United Kingdom, which led to the cancellation of over 1,000 flights on the same day. These UK-based disruptions were attributed to a separate technical issue affecting National Air Traffic Services (NATS).