Drone fears fuelled after two near-misses in just three days

A DRONE came within 330ft of a passenger aircraft in one of two dangerous incidents in three days at Edinburgh Airport.

The pilot of an Airbus A319 considered pulling out of a landing on July 30 after spotting a drone at 500ft, the UK Airprox Board said. However, it passed clear of the aircraft down the right side.

The incident was reported to an Edinburgh air traffic controller by the pilot, who assessed the risk of collision as ‘medium’.

The board – which investigates nearmisses – said the drone was flown in the vicinity of the airfield approach path ‘such that it was endangering other aircraft at that location and altitude’. Three days earlier, a first officer aboard a Boeing 757 at 3,500ft after taking off from Edinburgh spotted a drone to the left of the aircraft about 1,600ft away.

The board said that although safety had been reduced there had been no risk of collision.

However, the incidents have fuelled concerns that a larger number of increasingly powerful drones will be in the skies after being given as Christmas gifts.

The British Airline Pilots Association fears the number of incidents could soar as people immediately take to the skies with no formal training. In April, the UK Airprox Board said a drone had avoided crashing into a plane over Edinburgh only ‘by providence’.

The incident – in November last year – was rated by the board as Category A, its highest level and one in which a serious risk of collision has existed.

Ministers are considering measures to enforce registration of all new drones so they can be better monitored. The Department for Transport is also reviewing drone safety.

Pilots believe a collision could be catastrophic and that the impact of a drone strike on a light plane or helicopter would almost certainly bring it down.