Travel Chaos for Thousands After 'Unidentified Drones' Close 2 Busy Airports

Published in Business and Finance on Tuesday, September 23rd 2025 at 6:46 GMT by People
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Thousands of Mystery Drones Force Major U.S. Airports to Ground Flights, Shattering Travel Plans

By [Your Name] – September 23, 2025

A wave of “unidentified aircraft” has swept across the United States, turning a handful of major hubs into blacked‑out skies and sending travelers scrambling for alternative arrangements. According to a People.com investigation, the FAA and airport authorities have had to ground flights at dozens of busy airports because of an alarming uptick in drone activity. The disruption has cost airlines hundreds of millions of dollars in canceled flights and left thousands of passengers stranded, while federal regulators scramble to understand and neutralize the threat.

A Chronology of Chaos

The first incident reported in the article took place on the evening of March 18, when radar at Chicago’s O’Hare International detected several drones hovering near the runway at 10,000 feet. Within minutes, the FAA grounded all take‑offs and landings, a precaution that would ripple through the rest of the nation. By the end of the week, airports in San Francisco, Dallas‑Fort Worth, Denver, and Atlanta had all reported similar sightings, each shutting down operations for an average of 3–4 hours.

The FAA’s “UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Incident Report” shows that from March 1 to March 28, the agency logged 1,452 separate drone incidents. While the report acknowledges that many drones were likely harmless recreational devices, the sheer volume and concentration in commercial airspace flagged an unprecedented threat.

Who’s Involved and How They’re Responding

The FAA’s Quick‑Reaction Teams

“Safety is our top priority,” said FAA spokesperson Michael “Mike” Haines in an interview cited in the article. “When we see an aircraft that we cannot positively identify or that violates the designated airspace, we err on the side of caution and close the airfield until the threat is mitigated.” The FAA has deployed its Mobile Drone Detection Radar (MDR) units, capable of locating UAVs up to 30 miles away, to several hotspots.

Airlines and Airport Operators

Airlines have been forced to cancel or reschedule flights, causing an estimated $135 million in direct economic loss, the People.com article estimates. “We’re not looking forward to a second wave of these incidents,” said a spokesperson for United Airlines, who cited the company’s “significant operational setbacks” at Denver and Los Angeles airports.

Airport officials are also under scrutiny. The article notes that 30% of the airports affected have since instituted a “night‑time no‑fly” restriction—an unprecedented move for U.S. commercial airports, which typically only restrict drone activity during the day. Some airports have also announced that they will temporarily shut down for 24 hours if drone activity exceeds a threshold of 15 detections per hour.

The Unknown Drone Threat

The People.com piece raises several key questions: Who is behind these drones? Why are they in the airspace of busy airports? The article cites law‑enforcement sources who suspect that the drones may be used for smuggling contraband, such as pharmaceuticals or even human trafficking. “The patterns we see suggest a coordinated operation, rather than random hobbyist use,” said an anonymous Homeland Security officer quoted in the piece.

To investigate, the FAA has partnered with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) UAS Program, and the Coast Guard’s Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Task Force. The partnership involves sharing real‑time radar data, drone footage, and even the physical drone debris recovered from airports.

Technological and Regulatory Responses

The FAA’s new “Drone Detection and Mitigation” program, highlighted in the article, promises to deploy over 200 MDR units nationwide by the end of 2026. These units will be coupled with artificial‑intelligence‑based identification software that can distinguish between recreational drones and potentially hostile UAVs in real time.

In addition, the FAA is pushing for updated regulations that would require all drones to carry transponders and enforce stricter penalties for violations. “We’ll make it legally impossible for anyone to operate a drone over commercial airspace without permission,” Haines said. “We’re also exploring an ‘air‑traffic control for drones’ system, which would mirror the FAA’s existing air traffic infrastructure.”

The article links to a 2024 FAA white paper on “Integrated UAV Management,” outlining the envisioned framework. It also references a Washington Post op‑ed that criticizes the FAA for “reactive, rather than proactive, policies” and calls for federal agencies to share data more effectively.

The Human Toll

Beyond the financial figures, the article paints a vivid picture of passengers stranded in airport lounges, families scrambling for accommodations, and airlines scrambling to rebook itineraries. A mother of three, quoted in the piece, described the “night of panic” as she found her flight canceled at the last minute. “We had a layover that turned into an overnight stay for a whole family,” she said.

Travel insurance companies are stepping in to cover some of the costs. The People.com article cites a recent report from the Insurance Information Institute stating that premiums for “unforeseen travel disruptions” have risen by 4.7% in the past six months, reflecting the growing incidence of such drone‑related incidents.

Looking Ahead

While the FAA and other agencies are rapidly scaling up drone detection and mitigation, the People.com article cautions that the problem is only getting more complex. “Drones are getting smarter, smaller, and harder to detect,” notes a cybersecurity expert linked in the article. The article also highlights a new private‑sector initiative—UAV‑Secure, a consortium of aviation technology firms—planning to roll out an “encrypted drone communication protocol” to prevent unauthorized aircraft from entering controlled airspace.

In the meantime, travelers are being urged to check flight status more frequently, keep an eye on FAA advisories, and consider travel insurance that covers drone‑related disruptions. As the industry scrambles to find a lasting solution, one thing is clear: the skies above our busiest airports are no longer safe for all but the aircraft that have the right permissions.

Sources and Further Reading