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Suspected drone hits plane at London Heathrow

April 17, 2016

What might have been a drone has struck the side of a British Airways flight. A police investigation is now underway.

https://p.dw.com/p/1IXPn
London Flughafen Heathrow Flugzeug Landung
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Cowie

The suspected drone hit the side of the plane on Sunday as it was coming in for a landing at Europe's busiest airport.

"A pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft," a police spokesperson said, according to AFP news agency.

The plane landed safely and no passengers were hurt. Police said they were investigating the incident, but no arrests had been made.

Authorities also said the plane had been cleared for its next flight.

Concerns have grown in Britain over the use of drones near airports. Several drone-related incidents have been also reported at German airports in recent years, where authorities are considering new measures.

blc/bk (Reuters, AFP, dpa)