The Significance of Counter-Drone Systems in Airport Security

 



If you think drones are no security threat, the Gatwick Airport incident will leave you appalled. In December 2018, several drone sightings crippled Gatwick Airport for around 3 days. While airports had previously encountered drone sightings, the magnitude of disruption caused by this incident was unprecedented. The economic impact of the 33-hour closure was substantial, with estimated losses of £50 million for airlines and £1.4 million for Gatwick Airport. If you still underestimate the significance of counter-drone systems for airport security, let us tell you, the Gatwick drone incident is not an isolated event. 

 

More Drone Sightings in Airports

Before the Gatwick drone debacle, in 2017, at Jean Lesage airport in Quebec City, a drone collided with a passenger aircraft. Incursions into restricted airspace near San Francisco International Airport by drones were also reported, and at JFK International Airport in New York, a worker discovered a crashed drone on the runway during a routine inspection. By 2018, airport-related drone incidents had become frequent news stories. For example, a Virgin Atlantic flight narrowly avoided colliding with a drone at London Heathrow, and a passenger flight approaching Boston Logan Airport reported a drone in its flight path.

 

How Drones Keep Invading Airport Security

In different incidents across various airports, drones disrupted air traffic and caused significant disruptions. At Newark Airport in New Jersey in 2019, air traffic was halted for 90 minutes due to sightings of drones in the nearby airspace. Similarly, Dublin Airport experienced a shutdown as they awaited the departure of a drone from their airspace, and this wasn’t the end. Singapore Changi Airport closed its runway for 10 hours after drones were observed in their airspace, delaying 37 flights. 

 

In February 2020, the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez airport was shut down for around two hours after pilots spotted a drone hovering near the take-off area. More than 20 flights were rerouted away from the capital’s airport, and this left the airport authorities in shock. Again in November 2020, the Easy Jet Plane carrying 186 passengers came within 3 feet of smashing into an illegal drone at 320mph after leaving the Manchester airport. On the other hand, between October and December 2020, at least five commercial airline pilots reported a drone flying around 4,000 feet in the air in the Fort Mill Area, a near flight path to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. 

 

Conclusion

The risks associated with unregulated drones in airport airspace are multifaceted. UAVs equipped with cameras can compromise passenger privacy and raise concerns regarding unlawful surveillance. Drones can also carry payloads, such as explosives or weapons, making them potential tools for terrorist activities. Even unintentional disruptions caused by inexperienced or careless drone operators can have severe consequences for air traffic, potentially leading to accidents. This calls for the need for counter-drone systems to neutralize the threat of unauthorized drones. Searching for counter-drone technologies to add an extra layer to airport security? Reach out to the experts at NovoQuad Group now! 


Location: United States

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