On 18 August, an Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800, registered as A6-EOM, experienced a mid-air collision during flight EK77 between Dubai and Nice. Initial reports from the Aviation Safety Network suggest that a drone may have been the cause.
Due to the incident, Emirates Airlines had to cancel the return flight to Dubai. Damage was found on a section of the leading edge of the plane. It was only two days later, on 20 August, that the necessary repairs were made to the aircraft.
The French investigation board, BEA, is currently looking into the incident. While they’ve acknowledged the reports regarding a possible drone collision, they have not yet confirmed this theory.
Authorities are actively searching for the drone operator, who remains unidentified and at large.