Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has labelled Ireland's transport minister Eamon Ryan as "incompetent" and demanded he "take action or resign" after drones forced Dublin Airport to stop flights for a sixth time in 2023.
The Dublin-based airline said it had to divert three Dublin-bound flights to Belfast and Shannon, after the airport halted flights for around 30 minutes on the evening of March 2 after a drone was seen in the area.
O'Leary told Ireland's public broadcaster RTÉ on March 3 that it should be "easy" for the airport to have the authority and technology to "disable drones".
Ryan said on the evening of March 2 that he wanted to set up a meeting with Irish aviation industry representatives and that he would be making proposals to the government the following day about resolving the matter.
But O'Leary accused Ryan of "doing nothing" and asserted that Dublin Airport had sought permission from the Irish government to deploy anti-drone technology, which he said had not been granted.
The airport said on March 2 that the issue "needs to be tackled with new legislation" and "harsher sentences" for offenders guilty of the "reckless and illegal activity of flying drones within 5km" of the airport.