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In a development that has become all too common, a Lufthansa flight traveling from Munich to Warsaw experienced a close encounter with an unmanned drone as it was approaching Warsaw Chopin Airport on Monday, Reuters reported.
The German-based airline and the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) both confirmed that the drone came within 330 feet of the plane while it was at an altitude of roughly 2,500 feet.
Despite the scare, the Embraer ERJ-195, which was carrying 108 passengers, landed without issue at 2:09 p.m. local time Monday.
PANSA, which adjusted landing directions for nearly two dozen flights at the airport until officials were able to ensure the area was safe, said that police are currently investigating the incident.
However, police and military helicopters sent to look for the drone were unsuccessful.
With commercial drone use becoming more prevalent around the globe, near-miss incidents involving drones and commercial jetliners have becoming increasingly more common.
Even though drones are banned within a 12-mile radius of airports in Poland, airport spokesman Przemyslaw Przybylski said that officials aren't able to ensure that "some idiot does not suddenly decide to fly a drone in front of a landing plane," per the Associated Press.
Like the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S., the European Union is currently working to craft new safety and privacy regulations for drones. Reuters reports the regulations are scheduled to be presented as part of the European Commission's new aviation package this fall.
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