Fear of drone attack on jet
DRONES could be used to bring down a holiday jet, spies have warned.
The claim follows a spate of near-misses involving airliners at UK airports.
Intelligence chiefs fear terrorists could use the flying machines as cheap weapons to target packed planes.
Such an attack would cripple the holiday market and have a huge impact on global air travel. It is understood the threat has been discussed during national security briefings.
One intelligence source said last night: “Islamist terrorists are obsessed with downing aircraft and killing as many people as possible.
“Downing an airliner would be an international catastrophe with huge repercussions around the world. Drones can be bought online by anyone and are easy to fly. They represent a real threat to airlines.
“We have already seen how Islamic State have been using commercial and relatively inexpensive drones in Syria and Iraq, so the terrorists are aware of their advantages.”
Last week, after a drone caused chaos at Gatwick, pilots warned of mayhem without tougher rules on their use. A runway was shut down twice and at least five flights were diverted in the incident.
An easyJet flight from Naples declared an emergency as it tried to land, while some flights were sent to other airports around London.
The British Airline Pilots’ Association is now calling for compulsory registration of drone users to allow police to track down people flying them irresponsibly.
The union’s flight safety specialist, Steve Landells, said: “The threat of drones being flown near manned aircraft must be addressed before we see a disaster.
“We believe a collision, particularly with a helicopter, has the potential to be catastrophic.”
Last month a pilot was forced to take evasive action after a drone came within 20 metres of his plane as he approached Edinburgh.
The Loganair flight had been descending at 4,000ft and police warned there could have been “far more serious consequences”.
Solicitor General Robert Buckland said the law on drones should be reviewed.
He said: “The legislation relating to aviation is quite old. There’s a lot of legislation about intentional attacks on aircraft.
“I’d hesitate to say there’s a loophole. But we need to look carefully at whether the law is up to speed.”