New drone for Christmas? The airport isn’t the place to fly it
If anyone received a drone as a Christmas gift, East Midlands Airport (EMA) urges them to enjoy flying it somewhere other than near the airport.
The airspace above an airport is tightly controlled to ensure safety of all aircraft. Drones entering the airspace can present significant danger to aircraft and lead to significant disruption. They can also result in passenger flights being diverted and cause delays to the air cargo operation which carry time-sensitive and critical goods.
EMA has had to suspend its operations six times over the past 12 months due to drones being operated too close to the airport. The airport can and does take out prosecutions against drone operators which can result in significant fines. In a successful case in 2023, magistrates ordered the offending drone to be forfeited and destroyed.