Drone sightings near airports: Will it affect holiday travel? Experts weigh in

As Americans brace for holiday travel, flyers might be thinking about whether the uptick in drone sightings will affect take-off and landing.

Drone sightings across the northeast skies have been reported with some spotted near or over airport spaces.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects nearly 40 million people to fly over the holidays, according to the agency's website. 

The New York Stewart International Airport (SWF), a public and military airport in Orange County, had "multiple reported drone sightings near and over the airport," a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

SWF shut down the airport runway for over an hour on Friday night in response, and had no safety impacts on aircraft. 

He added, "The airports can't do anything else but shut down traffic even if there is just a reported sighting. Out of precautions for safety [airports] have to, and that's the issue is [drone operators] can't be tracked easily and can quickly shut down traffic and cause mass disruptions."

On Saturday, two men were arrested "following a hazardous drone operation near Logan Airport's airspace," according to a Boston Police Department press release.

"Our greatest concern with UAS [unmanned aircraft system] is that one, purposefully or accidentally, strikes an active aircraft which has the potential to be catastrophic," said the spokesperson. 

Adding, "when UAS are detected in the restricted airspace they can impact operations, and cause delays and even shut down an airport."

Richard Levy, retired pilot for a major international airline and Aviation Expert, told Fox News Digital via email the drone sightings will "probably not" impact holiday travel.

"The exception: an unauthorized flight of drone into controlled airspace near an airport will cause an immediate 'ground stop' on all departures prohibit any approaches and landings until the drone(s) have positively left the area," said Levy.

Levy said it is not common for pilots to spot drones.