Drone near miss prompts BALPA to step up the pressure
British pilots union, BALPA, is calling on the UK Government to bring forward its programme of drone education and registration in the wake of the Virgin near miss over London.
It said the incident, which happened when the B787-9 Dreamliner was passing above Clapham Common on its descent into Heathrow, could have had disastrous consequences.
A report by the UK Airprox Board said the drone avoided impact by just 10 feet.
"There is significant evidence to show that a drone colliding with an aircraft could cause catastrophic damage to the aircraft and we urge the Department for Transport to tighten urgently the laws to make it illegal to fly a drone within five kilometers of an airport without permission from Air Traffic Control," said a BALPA statement.
It said the incident happened despite the recent introduction of new laws restricting drones to 400ft in the UK.
The drone in this case was flying at more than eight times the maximum legal drone height.
BALPA head of flight safety, Dr Rob Hunter, said: "This near miss is further evidence that tougher laws and enforcement are required to keep drones clear of manned flights.
"The drone was being flown beyond visual line of sight and in conflict with aircraft approaching Heathrow Airport.
"That’s why we need the registration and education process in force sooner rather than later, so people flouting the law can be caught and prosecuted.
"At the same time BALPA is also calling for the Government to consider toughening the law to create a larger no-fly zone around airports.
"We need to ensure people flying drones take responsibility for their actions and do so responsibly with the knowledge that if they endanger an aircraft they could face jail."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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