United Airlines. which uses Newark as a hub, said: "The impact to our operations has been minimal so far. We are working closely with the airport and the FAA to return our operations to normal as quickly as possible."<doc-sep>New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport was brought to a halt on Tuesday after two incoming flights detected a drone nearby, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported. Two flights reported spotting a drone flying around 3,500 feet above Teterboro, N. J., at around 5 p.m., the FAA wrote in a statement. Planes flying into Newark were briefly not permitted to land, but the FAA resumed landings soon afterward because there were no more reports of drones. The scare comes just weeks after Gatwick Airport – the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom – was shut down for days after repeated nearby drone sightings. The FAA said that planes departing from other airports were temporarily stopped to allow time for backlogged flights to land. The airport’s Twitter account announced that normal operations had resumed at around 7 p.m. “We’re coordinating with the FAA & fully supporting all federal law enforcement authorities as they investigate this incident,” the tweet read. A spokesperson for United Airlines, which has its hub at the airport, wrote in a statement that the airline is continuing to monitor for reports of drones. “The impact to our operations has been minimal so far. We are working closely with the airport and the FAA to return our operations to normal as quickly as possible,” the airline wrote. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Contact us at letters@time.com.<doc-sep>[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] One of the busiest airports in the country was closed to arriving flights on Tuesday evening by reports of a drone flying nearby, showing how a single electronic toy could wreak havoc on an air-travel system already lagging in adopting technology to protect the skies. Newark Liberty International Airport, one of three main airports that serve New York City, halted all landings and diverted planes for more than an hour after two pilots on different planes spotted a drone nearby as they came in for landings. Law enforcement agencies were still investigating the sightings, but so far no drone has been located, a federal aviation official said on Wednesday. The disruption was all the more alarming because it came just one month after reported drone sightings caused the shutdown of Gatwick Airport in London, one of the busiest in Europe. The upheaval at Newark illustrated how vulnerable the air-travel system is to the proliferation of inexpensive drones that can weigh as much as 50 pounds and are capable of flying high and fast enough to get in the path of commercial jets, experts on aviation safety and drone technology said. It also raised questions about whether airports are prepared enough to identify drones and prevent them from paralyzing travel and leaving passengers stranded.<doc-sep>NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – There was a scare in the sky Tuesday after a pair of drone sightings disrupted flights at Newark Airport. The FAA said they received two reports of drones, spotted near Newark’s airspace. The intrusion put all flights in the area at risk. Arriving home from an eight-hour flight from Norway, the last thing one passenger wanted to deal with was a delay in the sky caused by the drones. “They shouldn’t be flying near an airport, period. They do and they get caught they’ve got to pay the consequences,” Thor Kongvold said. Sources told CBS2 the two drones were spotted around 5 p.m. and flew 3,500 feet above Teterboro Airport – less than 20 miles from Newark Liberty International. Audio from air traffic control at one point spotted the objects flying dangerously close to a plane. “There’s something flying here, we thought it might be a drone. There is definitely something there.” “Yes sir, it definitely looks like a drone… We missed the drone about 30 feet away from the right wing.” The drone sighting prompted a police helicopter search. This map shows at one point about a dozen planes stopped on the tarmac. Some flights were delayed from taking off. Others had to circle the airport several times before they could land. “They didn’t tell us anything we just went around but the pilot never mentioned anything,” Daffne Barrera told CBS2’s Natalie Duddridge. “About three times more or less. We thought it was about the weather.” While the disruption at Newark was short-lived, it comes just weeks after drone sightings at London’s Gatwick Airport paralyzed December holiday travel and canceled hundreds of flights. Also last year, a drone flew dangerously close to a Frontier Airlines flight in Las Vegas. It’s all concerning for authorities, especially after a recent study showed what kind of damage a drone colliding with a plane could cause.<doc-sep>
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Two reports of drone sightings caused a ground stop Tuesday night at Newark Liberty International Airport, bringing flights to a standstill. Normal operations have since resumed, but the drone disruption came just weeks after a similar incident in London. “There’s something (inaudible) here. We don’t, we thought maybe it was a drone. But there’s definitely something (inaudible) here,” audio from air traffic control says. “Yes sir. Object and it definitely looks like a drone,” the recording continues. “We missed the drone by about 30 feet off the wing.” Normal #EWR operations have resumed after arrivals were briefly held by the FAA due to reports of drone activity north of the airport earlier this evening. We’re coordinating with the FAA & fully supporting all federal law enforcement authorities as they investigate this incident — Newark Liberty Airport (@EWRairport) January 23, 2019 The Federal Aviation Administration said the dual sightings came in around 5 p.m. about 3,500 feet about Teterboro Airport, less than 20 miles from Newark, prompting a police helicopter search. The intrusion put all flights in the area at risk. “They didn’t tell us anything. We just went around. But the pilot never mentioned anything,” passenger Daffne Barrera, who arrived from Iceland, said. Some flights were delayed taking off. Others had to circulate in the air several times before they could land. “About three times, more or less. But we thought it was maybe about the weather,” said Barrera. At one point, about a dozen planes were stopped on the tarmac. This comes just weeks after drone sightings at London’s Gatwick Airport resulted in hundreds of holiday flights canceled. Last year, another drone came close to a Frontier Airlines flight in Las Vegas. It’s all concerning for authorities, especially after a recent study showed what kind of damage a drone colliding with a plane could cause. Tuesday’s disruption at Newark Airport may have been short lived. But for those getting off long flights, it was rather frustrating. “They shouldn’t be flying near an airport, period. If they do and they get caught, they’ve got to pay the consequences,” Thor Kongvold, who arrived from Norway, said. The FAA is working with law enforcement to try and track down those responsible. FAA regulations say drones should not be flown above 400 feet. Sources tell CBS2 those caught can face criminal charges and up to $15,000 in fines.