Drone incursions at Gatewick Airport in London

I have written some articles about unmanned aircraft systems (aka drones) and the dangers they pose to aerial operations, including but not limited to aerial wildland firefighting. I continue to be aware of the problems that drone incursions may cause to aerial operations. Air tankers and helicopters are grounded from aerial operations over wildfires when drones are spotted. Drone operations near airports can pose a risk to airport operations.

When reading my daily newspapers, I noted that a drone incursion had shut down all flights into and out of Gatewick Airport in London from Wednesday night (December 19th) into early Friday morning (December 21st). As a result of the drone incursion(s) Gatewick was closed for about 32 hours during one of the busiest travel times of the year leading to chaos at the airport. The airport reopened to flights early in the morning of December 21st only to be have all flights suspended  late in the afternoon for an hour or so after another suspected drone incursion. See this December 21st article from the New York Times for more information.

I am embedding a video from BBC about the dangers drones pose to aviation and what the British are trying to do. Be advised that in the United States, drones have to be registered with the FAA, go to this FAA site to read about drone safety tips and drone operations. For information about drone registration with the F.A.A. go here.



Direct link to video