New legislation could bring drones down to earth

The number of ‘drones’ registered in Ireland is spiralling but, amid growing concerns about safety and security, new legislation could bring their owners down to earth.

New laws will require the owners of drones that weigh more than 250 grams to register the device and this will come into statutory effect next year. Previously, only drones weighing over 1kg had to be registered.

For the first time ever, Europe-wide rules for the registration and certification of drones have been agreed. According to the Irish Aviation Authority, there are 10,498 drones on the register in Ireland, up from 8,502 in December 2017.

Drones should be used safely and responsibly, according to Ireland South MEP, Deirdre Clune who said people who own and operate drones have a responsibility to ensure they are used in a careful manner. “With an exponential yearon-year growth of drone-related incidents, it is quite clear that drones will be a major safety challenge in the years to come. We should never forget that drones can do harm to people, they are a significant security threat and a risk to aircraft,” she said.

Ms Clune added that there have been many recent reports of drone misuse, with emergency services even being forced to stand down operations. Cork Airport was also affected when they were forced to halt flights due to drones.

Drones are considered to be unmanned aircraft which are remotely piloted or controlled and drone registration is mandatory in Ireland.

She said: “Drones are a sector of aviation that is fast developing and offers great potential to produce new jobs and growth. The increased use of drones does however brings up a range of legal and commercial issues, including public safety.”