Drama in skies moments before arrival of Queen

ARMED air corps aircraft were scrambled to intercept a helicopter entering Dublin airspace minutes before Queen Elizabeth II landed in the city, the Defence Forces have confirmed.

On the morning of May 17, aircraft were ordered on three occasions to hold or divert and were shadowed by air corps planes.

During one incident, just minutes before the Queen’s plane landed at Baldonnel at noon on the Tuesday morning, an air corps plane flew alongside a helicopter attempting to land in south Dublin.