A civilian aircraft operating over the Irish Sea has reported seeing a large drone close to Dublin Bay.The pilot of the Aer Lingus plane reported the sighting to Dublin Air Traffic Control at around 5.20pm on Tuesday. The report came at a time widespread flight disruptions in the UK and Ireland due to air traffic control issues in London. Around 50 flights operating in and out of Dublin were cancelled, as were around 600 others in the UK. According to a record of air traffic control transmissions, the Aer Lingus pilot reported the drone was operating at 6,000ft and was about 3km to the aircraft’s left side at it flew into Dublin from Cornwall.The pilot reported the drone was about “10 miles” from LAPMO, a navigation point near Howth in north Co Dublin. That would put it somewhere off the Co Wicklow coast.Asked by air traffic control if he spotted any identifying marks on the drone, the pilot replied that it was large and black. The air traffic controller said he would pass the information on to Dublin Airport.An Irish Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to the general area of the reported drone sighting a short time later. It spent a number of hours flying over the Dublin Bay area.AirNav Ireland, which provides air traffic management services in Irish airspace, said an aircraft “arriving into Dublin this evening reported a possible drone sighting”.“In line with our normal safety procedures, a safety report was filed and the sighting was reported to An Garda Síochána. As this matter is now with the relevant authorities, we have no further comment at this time,” it added. Air traffic controllers asked various aircraft in the general area if they caught sight of the object. None reported that they did, according to recordings reviewed by The Irish Times.“We’ve no radar return down there and nothing that we’re aware of in the area,” an air traffic controller told one aircraft. “So, just keep your eyes out there, would you mind?”The purported sighting occurred shortly after the conclusion of meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Dublin Castle. It is not known if it caused any disruption to air traffic over Dublin.Gardaí said they were aware of an alleged sighting of an unconfirmed object over the Irish Sea, off the east coast.“An Garda Síochána continue to investigate the reports in conjunction with the relevant authorities.”Aer Lingus and the Irish Aviation Authority were contacted for comment.