Dubai - Airspace around Dubai International Airport was closed between 8:08am to 8:35am.
Published: Thu 29 Sep 2016, 9:53 AM
Updated: Fri 30 Sep 2016, 8:43 AM
In yet another local drone mishap, an errant unmanned vehicle forced the closure of the Dubai International Airport for nearly half an hour on Wednesday morning, according to airport officials.
In a statement, a Dubai Airports spokesperson noted that "airspace around Dubai International was closed from 0808 hours to 0835 hours this morning due to unauthorised drone activity resulting in a number of delays at the airport".
The spokesperson said the arrival operations resumed at 8.35am and departures at 8.40am with some restrictions. Full operations resumed at 9.07am.
"Safety is our top priority," the spokesperson added. "Dubai Airports reminds all UAV operators that any and all activities are not permitted unless authorised by regulatory authorities and are strictly prohibited in restricted areas, including within five kilometres of any airport or landing area."
The incident is the latest in a string of airport closures caused by drones in the UAE.
In June, for example, air traffic at Dubai International was brought to a standstill for just over an hour following the presence of an unauthorised drone, with a number of aircraft diverted to Dubai World Central Airport.
Recent drone incidents
September 2016: In a two-day span, two pilots reported close encounters with drones near Statford Municipal Airport in Canada.
June 2016: A drone forced the closure of Dubai International Airport for 69 minutes.
April 2016: Drone strikes British Airways plane at Heathrow Airport. At approximately 12.50am, a pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft.
March 2016: A drone came within a close range of 200 feet of hitting a Lufthansa jet near Los Angeles International Airport on March 18. The pilot of a Lufthansa A380 approaching the airport reported that a drone passed about overhead around 1.30pm.
January 2015: Recreational drones forced the closure of Dubai airport for 55 minutes after they veered dangerously close to the flight path of commercial airliners. As a result, some aircraft had to be diverted to Al Maktoum Airport in Jebel Ali.
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Drone danger
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said that a drone potentially striking an aircraft could be very dangerous.
"Depending on the size of the drone, some of which can be as large as a light single-seat helicopter, the risk is that a jet could well be brought down," he noted. "While engines are robustly tested for many types of ingestion, particularly birds, this new phenomenon with drones means that any collision could cause severe damage depending on the stage of flight - whether at taxi on the ground, take-off or landing.
"Any structural impact on any sized airplane would force an emergency. This may well lead to an airport or airspace closure or restriction."
Cost of mishaps
Aside from posing a potential threat to the safety of aircraft and passengers, officials have noted that such incidents can be extremely costly.
"Sudden airport closures like what we've seen at Dubai International can run into millions of dirhams very easily," Ahmad noted. "With the knock-on effect of flights diverting, mis-stationing crew, baggage and passengers, and the cost of then either transporting them back to their origin or putting them up in hotels, costs rapidly escalate.
"The airport too has to factor in the loss of revenue that cannot land. Even a simple drone incursion can have damaging effects."
Speaking at the World Aviation Safety Summit held in Dubai earlier this year, Michael Rudolph, head of Aviation Regulation and Safety at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), said "$1 million per minute - that's what it cost the economy of Dubai."
Regulations
Drone tracking technology in DubaiIn April, officials announced that Dubai will soon become the first place in the world to implement real-time tracking software to monitor the operations of commercial drones in restricted airspace.
The Exponent Portal software - which was publicly unveiled during a live demonstration at the World Aviation Safety Summit in Dubai - will allow DCAA officials and other authorities to track the location, speed and height of drones, as well as view and record material being collected by the drone's on-board camera.
The system works through a 160-gramme add-on that is to be fitted onto drones before flight.
Using the Exponent Portal, both the DCAA and the drone operator are immediately notified-including via near-instant SMS messages - when the drone strays outside of a pre-determined "geo-fenced" area in which the vehicle is permitted to fly.
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Earlier this week, the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) noted that it is working with companies selling drones in the country to inform customers of regulations around owning drones and regulate their operations.
Current UAE drone regulations - which were introduced in April 2015 - primarily relate to commercial licensing and use of drones, but are being constantly developed further, according to GCAA officials.
"The GCAA is required to authorise the operation of civil unmanned aerial vehicles within civil airspace over the territory of the UAE," GCAA Air Navigation Inspector Waleed Al Riyami told Khaleej Times. "The majority of applications we receive - 90 per cent - are for small drones weighing 5kg or less."
Additionally, the GCAA noted that it is currently working to improve its e-service applications by including the required approvals from other government entities such as the Ministry of Defence, Department of Transport and local municipalities to ease the process for applicants.
It currently takes between one and two weeks for applications to be received and for approval - or denial - to be given.
Approximately 400 drones are currently registered with the GCAA for a variety of purposes, including for universities conducting research programmes, mapping and monitoring, farming or environmental research.
Recreational unmanned vehicles continue to be readily available in Dubai and other parts of the UAE, ranging from small-short range miniature variants that cost several hundred dirhams, to larger more sophisticated models that can remain airborne longer and take professional-quality video.
bernd@khaleejtimes.com
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