UK’s second busiest airport at Gatwick has grounded all flights and closed its runways since last night, after two drones were seen in close vicinity of the airport. The disruption started on Wednesday 9:00 p.m. local time and is ongoing at the time of writing. Photoshopped illustration image. Source: pixabay.com Flying a drone has become so easy and inexpensive lately that virtually anyone can fly one. An increasing number of drones also means an increasing number of problems in the airspace due to reckless behavior. And in reaction to increased restrictions, we’re sure eventually it will be required to get a license to even purchase a drone, thanks to irresponsible pilots. Increasing Number of Drone Incidents We all know there are certain restrictions to consider, and one of the major ones is flying a drone near the airports. Impacting an aircraft could have fatal consequences as drones really can cause some serious damage to planes. Still, cases like this happen. In fact, as Reuters states, the number of near misses between private drones and aircraft in Britain more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year, according to the UK Airprox Board. When it comes to Gatwick airport, it is not their first traffic disruption due to a sighted UAV. We already reported about a similar event back in July 2017. Considering the magnitude of the disruptions, the current one is of course much bigger and more serious affecting thousands of passengers. The official statement published on...
Published By: CineD - Thursday, 20 December, 2018