Dubai Begins Drone Detection System Trials
Joe Cortez November 04, 2016
Tests begin after airspace closed for an hour in October due to drone intrusion
Officials representing Dubai’s airports are looking for solutions to drone intrusions that have caused several commercial aviation issues in 2016. Reuters reports airport authorities will begin testing drone detection systems, with the hope of preventing future drone intrusions and finding those who do break the airport air space.
While drone issues have been a major problem for American airport operators for years, the problem is now starting to grow in the Middle East due to an expanding hobbyist market. Over the last four months, operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) have been stopped three times due to drone intrusions, with the latest taking place on October 29, 2016.
The new system Dubai Airports plans to test hopes to track drones in real time as they enter airport operating space, similar to a radar system. In addition, the system would ideally be able to track the radio frequency of its controller, allowing authorities to track down and stop the pilot.
“We have got to find a way of controlling [drone intrusions] immediately,” Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said to Reuters. “We just cannot have any more closures caused by infringements of drones in controlled airspace.”
The plan has the backing of Emirates Airlines, one of the carriers affected by ground stops at DXB due to drone intrusions. The airline claims that drones have been directly responsible for the diversion of 13 flights, costing the airline hundreds of thousands of dollars and inconveniencing passengers.
“The safety risk from unauthorized drone activity and the resulting disruption to customers and operations is unacceptable,” Adel Al Redha, executive vice president and COO of Emirates, said in a press release. “We request the authorities to take strong measures and impose penalties to discourage future occurrences, and also consider implementing drone detectors at the airport.”
[Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP
