Category Archives: News & Event

Heathrow drone: police investigating whether it is linked to Gatwick chaos

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Government commits to review laws on use of drones around airports after Tuesday sighting caused one-hour halt

Police hunting those behind a drone flight at Heathrow are investigating whether it was carried out by the same person or group that caused chaos at Gatwick in the run-up to Christmas or if it was a copycat crime.

The sighting of the drone just after 5pm on Tuesday caused Heathrow managers to order an emergency one-hour halt of flights taking off.

The drone’s short incursion around the north runway was witnessed by police officers, giving police chiefs confidence that it was real and not the result of a mistaken sighting.

The device was larger than that seen at Gatwick just before Christmas. After the drone disappeared, measures and equipment stationed at Heathrow were activated which airport bosses hope will neutralise any threat to passenger planes.

Officials trying to deter the drones will not know for sure how well the mitigation measures work until they have to deal with another drone sighting, but have studied what worked and did not work at Gatwick.

The police also appealed to the public for information about the operator of the drone.

On Wednesday the government underlined its commitment to toughen laws on the use of drones around airports after the military had to be deployed at Heathrow following the drone sighting.

The de facto deputy prime minister, David Lidington, said ministers were reviewing the legislation after the Heathrow incident raised fears of a repeat of the chaos witnessed at Gatwick before Christmas, when drone sightings caused flights to be suspended for days.

Asked about the Heathrow incident on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Lidington said: “Clearly, the government is looking at the law to see whether there are ways in which it could be strengthened.

He added: “What I think the airports themselves have to do is step up and do more of is investment in technology to both detect and then stop drones from flying.”

The Department for Transport confirmed that the aviation minister, Liz Sugg, and the security minister, Ben Wallace, are due to meet the heads of UK airports on Thursday to discuss resilience against drone attacks.

A spokeswoman said: “The government will continue to work closely with a range of stakeholders from industry to explore technical solutions and improve security measures.”

Heathrow said flights were operating as normal on Wednesday morning

. Commander Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan police said: “Military assistance has been implemented to support us. However, we will not be discussing in any further detail the range of tactics available to us as this would only serve to potentially undermine their effectiveness.”

He added: “Police officers were amongst those who saw the drone and a full criminal investigation has been launched. We are carrying out extensive searches around the Heathrow area to identify any people who may be responsible for the operation of the drone.”

The British Airline Pilots’ Association said the incidents at Gatwick and Heathrow demonstrated the need for tougher regulations.

Rob Hunter, its head of flight safety, said: “The costs of these incidents is going to add to the incentive to take this hazard much more seriously.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, he said: “The segregation of drones and commercial airliners needs to be better ensured.

“The rules are not pretty strict; they are pretty lax, actually. Currently a drone can operate within 1km of an airfield boundary and that could actually mean that the drone is above approaching aircraft and departing aircraft.

“That 1km boundary needs to be extended right out to 5km. The government announced that they intend to do that, so I think the Gatwick incident has helped.”

He added: “The frustration is that what we have seen is an expansion of this technology, but what hasn’t kept pace is managing the hazard of it.”

On Tuesday, the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, announced measures to give police extra powers to combat drones, including extending a drone exclusion zone around airports.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/09/heathrow-drone-police-investigating-whether-it-is-linked-to-gatwick-chaos

Police to get new powers to tackle illegal drone use

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Police will be given new powers to tackle the illegal use of drones, the government has announced.

The area around airports where drones are banned from flying will also be extended, and from 30 November operators of drones between 250g and 20kg will need to be registered.

Labour said action on drones should have been taken years ago.

Last month flights from Gatwick were suspended for more than 36 hours after drones were reported over the airfield.

The plans follow a consultation into the use of drones which began in July.

The government said it would also expand technology to detect and repel drones from sites like airports and prisons, to prevent any repeat of events like those at Gatwick airport in December.

New legislation will give police additional powers to land drones and require users to produce the appropriate documentation.

They will also be able to search premises and seize drones – including the electronic data stored within the device – where a serious offence has been committed and a warrant is secured.

For minor drone offences, police will be able to issue fixed-penalty notices, with fines of up to £100 for offences such as failing to comply with an officer when instructed to land a drone or not showing the registration required to operate a drone.

Registered drone users will also need to take an online competency test.

Analysis

By Theo Leggett, business correspondent

Sometimes it’s important to be seen to be doing something. That may well be the case with the government’s plans to combat drone misuse.

It had been planning action for some time – and had already held a major consultation on its proposals. Then came the dramas at Gatwick before Christmas.

So would the new measures have made any difference in that situation? Probably not. Flying a drone close to an airport was already illegal, under legislation passed last year. The problem there was actually finding those responsible.

But drone misuse is now a hot topic, so announcing these measures now, and widening the exclusion zone around airports, may help draw off some of the political flak.

Meanwhile the Home Office will “begin to test and evaluate the safe use of a range of counter-drone technology in the UK”.

That may well be the wisest way forward. But critics are likely to ask why such testing wasn’t already under way.

After all, the threat was a known one, and it seems the Army at least had access to that kind of technology.

Speaking in the Commons, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the disruption caused at Gatwick was “deliberate, irresponsible and calculated, as well as illegal” and any restriction zone around the airport would not have prevented an incident of this type.

He said the problems at Gatwick were solved by “smart and innovative use of new technology”, but declined to reveal what this was for “security reasons”.

He added that the Ministry of Defence remained “on standby” to deal with any further problems caused by drones at airports.

Increase in incidents involving drones and aircraft

Last year the government made it illegal to fly a drone above 400ft (120m) or within 1km (0.62 miles) of an airport.

The exclusion zone will now be extended to the current Air Traffic Zone around airports, which is approximately a 5km (3.1 miles) radius, with additional extensions from runway ends.

Endangering the safety of an aircraft is a criminal offence which can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.

BBC home affairs correspondent Tom Symonds said the extension of exclusion zones around airports was likely to be welcomed by the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which has lobbied for tougher rules.

The number of aircraft incidents involving drones has grown dramatically in the past few years. In 2013 there were zero incidents, compared with more than 100 last year.

There has also been an increase in the use of drones to smuggle drugs, mobile phones and other contraband into prisons.

Labour’s shadow transport minister Andy McDonald said while the measures were welcome, they should have been introduced sooner.

“Labour has repeatedly warned Department for Transport ministers over the last several years that they needed to take action on drones yet nowhere near enough has been done,” he said.

He added that the failure to bring forward detailed plans on drones had “disastrous consequences” and it was “astonishing” the government had no procedures in place to deal with events like those at Gatwick airport.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46787730