The recent drone chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick airports is a wake-up call to all airports of the world. Drones are a growing threat. Near misses with passenger planes are being reported frequently.

At the height of the Christmas getaway last December I was one of those unfortunate passengers stranded at the airport for nearly three days as Gatwick airport was shut after repeated sightings of drones near runways. More than 1,000 flights were cancelled or diverted, causing misery for up to 200,000 passengers. Even Heathrow was shut up for an hour or so when a drone was spotted nearby.

This criminal act and illegal activity by rogue drone operators with criminal intent has to stop and airports should be better prepared for any future disturbances. It is absolutely illegal to fly a drone within one kilometre of an airport. There have been repeated near misses between passenger planes and drones, both in the UK and even in the US airspace with pilots routinely reporting seeing drones passing within feet of them.

Are there any strict measures being contemplated to stop this very serious menace?

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