Gatwick episode proves drone laws do not go far enough

The sighting of two drones in dangerous proximity to the runway could hardly have happened at a busier airport. Gatwick deals with hundreds of flights every day to destinations around the world; indeed 760 short and long haul flights were due to use the airport yesterday.

There were many tales of frustration, with passengers about to embark on eagerly-awaited holidays five days before Christmas. Some of the most poignant stories included devastated children whose dream trips to Lapland were cancelled at the last minute and a couple who were due to catch a honeymoon flight to New York but were left with little choice but to book new tickets from Heathrow.

It is probably a surprise that it has taken this long for such a disruptive episode involving drones. Passenger frustrations were of course understandable yesterday but anger should not be directed at airport authorities for whom safety must be the overwhelming priority, but at the laws over drones that don’t go far enough.

Statistics show that reported near misses between commercial aircraft and drones have tripled in the UK since 2015, as the ownership of drones has become increasingly common. There were a worrying 92 near misses between aircraft and drones in 2017, any of which could have had catastrophic consequences. Anyone doubting the seriousness of a collision between a plane and a drone should remember the crash involving an aircraft and a flock of Canadian geese near La Guardia Airport in New York in 2009.

The current restrictions include it being against the law to fly a drone higher than 120 metres or in restricted airspace such as near an airport. But these are not proving enough of a deterrent to those who are putting lives at risk and causing a day of misery for hundreds of thousands of people yesterday.