The drone no-fly area around UK airports is expanding

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Following on from the travel chaos in December when one of the UK’s busiest airports was shut down due to drone sightings, the no-fly area around airports is being extended. Currently set at 1km from the runway, the new no-fly border will be 5km, roughly 3 miles.

While shutting down an airport for over 24 hours would have created travel chaos at the best of times, the drone sightings at Gatwick Airport were during the holiday season, further complicating things. In total, over 1000 flights and 140,000 passengers were affected by whoever it was carelessly flying their drones nearby. Even with a huge manhunt at the time, police are still clueless as to who the perpetrators are. They had picked up a local couple for questioning, but both were released without charge.

DJI, the leader in the consumer drone space, has already upgraded its geofencing capabilities to several times what the existing rules called for. With the no-fly zone being extended to 5km, expect DJI to update its software in the coming weeks.

The UK is also trying to take further action, with its upcoming Drone Bill. That piece of legislation broadens the powers of the police, allowing them to stop-and-search suspected malicious drone operators. It also allows for access to the software of drones to read flight logs and other data, while also expanding the use of detection and repel drones around sensitive areas such as airports or prisons.

In addition to the changes above, it will also be required by law for UK drone operators to register and pass an online safety test, which will be put into place in November 2019.

What do you think about the changes? Should the US implement similar procedures? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• New metamaterial discovered that can (almost) block all sound
• The NYPD has a new algorithm to help it fight crime
• Tesla pumps the brakes on its store closures and raises prices instead
• If you add funds to your Apple ID account right now, you’ll get a little extra from Apple
• The Disney+ streaming service will have every Disney movie ever made

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.