Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the issue of resilience in the event of a drone collision with a passenger airline in Scottish airspace.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government hasn’t had any direct discussions with a Scottish Government on this issue. Commercial aircraft are already rigorously tested to withstand collisions with small objects, such as birds, but my Department and the Civil Aviation Authority are working with the aviation sector, including manufacturers, airports and airlines, to ensure our understanding of the potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. This activity is also helping to provide real life evidence of drone risks and the options for preventing collisions.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with airport operators on responding to incidents involving unmanned drones and aircraft.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with airline operators in response to incidents between unmanned drones and passenger airlines.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents involving unmanned drones and aircraft in the proximity of UK airports have been reported in each month in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The following table show the number of incidents involving unmanned drones that have been reported by pilots, air traffic control and the general public for each month since 2015. There is no specific data relating to incidents in the proximity of UK airports and very low levels of reporting prior to 2015. These figures should be viewed with the following caveats:
2015 | |
Jan | 2 |
Feb | 3 |
Mar | 2 |
Apr | 9 |
May | 5 |
Jun | 6 |
Jul | 11 |
Aug | 10 |
Sep | 12 |
Oct | 9 |
Nov | 6 |
Dec | 2 |
2016 | |
Jan | 4 |
Feb | 9 |
Mar | 31 |
Apr | 27 |
May | 25 |