The number of drone near-misses at Heathrow Airport has risen significantly, according to figures compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Documents from the UK Airprox Board (UKAB), which catalogs air safety incidents, revealed there were 25 near-misses between planes and objects identified as drones at Heathrow in 2016, compared with just seven in 2015.
UKAB’s most-recent monthly report showed there were three drone near-misses near the airport in west London in the space of three weeks last year.
And annual data compiled by the board revealed a total of 70 drone near-misses were documented across the country last year.
This comes after last year in November, two pilots were left stunned when their passenger jet was involved in a near-miss with a large drone on the approach to Heathrow Airport.
According to UKAB, they spotted the gadget – which had multiple arms and up to eight rotors – and exclaimed: “Was that a drone? At 10,000 feet!”
The pilots estimated the separation between the aircraft and the drone to be 100 feet (30 metres) vertically and 200 metres (656 feet) horizontally.
Meanwhile, a Freedom of Information request by the Press Association revealed the number of incidents logged by police around the country rocketed between 2014 and 2016.
Last year, forces recorded 3,456 incidents, equivalent to nearly 10 every day. This was almost triple the 2015 figure of 1,237 and more than 12 times the 2014 tally of 283.
The true total is likely to be higher as full data was not available for all forces in the UK.
Civil Aviation Authority rules state that drones must not be flown above 400 feet or near airports or airfields. In November, they launched a website to publish a revised code of conduct, labelled the Drone Code. Its rules say the devices must not be flown:
- Above 400ft (120m);
- Where you cannot see them;
- Near aircraft, airports or airfields;
- Within 150ft (50m) of people or property;
- Over crowds and built-up areas;
- Within 500ft (150m) horizontally of crowds and built-up areas.
Department for Transport officials are analysing feedback from a recent consultation into new measures to enhance drone safety. The proposals being considered include:
- A new criminal offence for misuse of drones;
- Mandatory registration of new drones;
- Tougher penalties for illegal flying near no-fly zones such as airports and prisons;
- New signs for no-fly zones;
- Making drones electronically identifiable so the owner’s details can be passed to police if they are spotted breaking the law.
