Although none of them have had the drama of the drone-fueled shutdown last month of London’s Gatwick airport, German flight controllers say drone-interference incidents have risen 80% over the past year.
The agency reported that 158 incidents were logged in 2018, with the largest number at the largest airport, Frankfurt. In 2017, there were 88, itself a large jump over the previous year’s 64.
German air transport industry associations are calling for more safety measures around airports. Drones are legal, but not in restricted zones near airports. While no major incidents have happened, in several cases landings and take-offs were delayed.
The chart below gives the breakdown for Drones in the Vicinity of Airports, by airport.
