Are drones posing a serious threat to aviation?

15th February 2016

Joe Bush

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There are growing fears that the usage of UAVs, or drones, is increasing the chances of a security breach within the aviation industry. Although these threats are evolving, Tony Tyler, Head of aviation trade body, Iata, has called for regulations to be put in place now before a serious accident occurs.

The increased security threat posed by the ease of accessibility to drones, has seen several recent measures being employed to negate these dangers. These include training birds of prey to take out drones in mid-air, if they are perceived to be a threat, to several UK police forces using drones as a counter-measure to the UAVs being used by burglars to perform surveillance on potential targets and identify weak spots on individual properties. Indeed, authorities in California declared the recent Super Bowl game as a ‘no-drone zone’.

Speaking at a conference in Singapore, Tyler commented: “I am as excited as you are about the prospect of having pizza delivered by a drone. But we cannot allow [drones] to be a hindrance or safety threat to commercial aviation.”

Tyler went on to stress that there has been several incidents where pilots have reported unauthorised drones – particularly at low altitudes. Last month the UK Air Proximity Board claimed that there had been four recent near-misses at UK airports, including one involving a Boeing 737 that had taken off from Stansted Airport. There were other category A incidents at Heathrow, Manchester and London City.

Pilots have called for technology to be routinely fitted to drones to stop them from being able to fly in areas where they could meet commercial traffic.

Steve Landells from the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said that near misses were becoming, “too regular an occurrence”.

He added: “We must act now to protect passengers and flight crew and make sure a catastrophic crash does not happen. The authorities must enforce current regulations and make sure new ones, such as compulsory insurance and registration, are brought in without delay.

“As the growth of drones flying by hobbyists continues, education and training are increasingly becoming key. Anyone flying a drone must do so in a safe and sensible way.” Aviation regulators also want to make sure that the radio spectrum used to control the drones does not interfere with air traffic control systems.

In December the US government set up a registration system for Americans who own drones, and anyone who has a drone must register with the Federal Aviation Administration before the device takes its first flight.