Air NZ pushes for stricter controls after drone near-miss

Meghan Lawrence

Air New Zealand is demanding tougher rules for drone operators after a near-miss at Auckland Airport involving a flight with 278 people on board.

NZ92 from Tokyo was coming into land at Auckland when it encountered a drone estimated to be just 5m away from the 777-200 aircraft on Sunday.

“The incident is the second example of reckless drone use potentially endangering passenger safety this month, with flight operations at Auckland Airport halted for 30 minutes on March 6 when an Air New Zealand pilot reported a drone within controlled airspace,” Air NZ said.

Air New Zealand chief operations and integrity standards officer Captain David Morgan said serious drone incidents were on the rise — and policymakers need to take action and introduce stronger penalties for irresponsible operators.

“NZ92 was just metres away from a serious incident on Sunday,” he said.

“The pilots spotted the drone at a point in the descent where it was not possible to take evasive action.

“It passed so close to the incoming aircraft that they were concerned it may have been ingested into the engine.”

A later inspection showed the drone had not gone into the engine.

But it was clear “the time has now come” for tougher deterrents regarding reckless drone use around airports to safeguard travellers.

That included introducing the penalty of imprisonment in the case of life-threatening incidents.

Under current regulations, individual drone operators who breach Civil Aviation Rules can receive a fine of up to $5000.

Morgan said Air New Zealand was committed to pushing for tougher and more consistent penalties.

Air traffic control organisation Airways had also expressed its concern around an increasing number of drone sightings in controlled airspace.

The organisation said it had received reports of more than one unauthorised drone operating per week, over the past year.

“Air traffic control technology is currently unable to detect small objects such as drones so we rely on drone operators to follow the rules and register with us before they fly to ensure all aircraft are integrated safely into our airspace.”

Airways was “actively looking” for solutions, it said, and a new system would be trialled within the next three months.

The airline’s call for action follows new figures that show that the huge growth in the use of drones in the past five years has seen a marked rise in complaints to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). But only about 4 per cent of complaints resulting in disciplinary measures.