Unauthorised Drones Keep Disrupting Flights in Singapore

From people accidentally opening emergency exits mistaking it for toilets to smelly durians stinking up the plane, flights around the globe get delayed for reasons beyond bad weather and technical difficulties. But it seems like Singapore has a new hurdle hindering its flights.

For the second time this week, unauthorised drones delayed a flight at Singapore’s Changi Airport on Monday, June 24. This takes the total of delays in arrivals and departures at the airport mainly due to drones whizzing around to 18.

While it is against the law in Singapore to fly a drone within 5 kms (3 miles) of an airport without a permit, more than one drone was spotted on Monday and none of them seemed to be made recreationally. Changi Airport, which happens to be one of Asia’s busiest sites of transit, isn’t the only one facing this drone danger. Even in London’s Gatwick airport, 1,10,000 passengers on 760 flights had to face delays last December because unmanned aerial vehicles kept droning on. Such incidents have taken place in the US and China as well. The matter is being investigated and authorities in Singapore have promised strict action against those responsible for endangering aviation security and the safety of passengers. Offenders could face a fine of up to USD 14,788 or a jail term of up to 12 months.

A study done in November 2017 had revealed that these drones cause more damage to planes on impact, than birds flying at the same speed even if their weight is the same, because they are made of materials like plastic and metals.

While researchers at the Nanyang Technological University are exploring a traffic management system for drones in Singapore, the airport is currently equipped with jammer guns that can interfere with the drone signals and pose a risk to other airport operations like air traffic control.

Meanwhile, some countries have devised clever ways to deal with rogue drones. South Korea and Japan use "interceptor drones" that lock in on a target, release a net and disable it mid-air, while the US and China are experimenting with anti-drone lasers. The Dutch police are even training eagles to intercept such drones.

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