Allow gardaí take control of drones threatening airfield, says Dublin Airport chief 

Dublin Airport chief executive Kenny Jacob has called on the Government to introduce a system to enable gardaí take control of drones flying illegally in the vicinity of the airfield.

Mr Jacob told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the Government could introduce a drone counter operative system similar to that operated by the Metropolitan Police in the UK in the wake of disruption at Gatwick airport. That system allows police to take control of drones by overriding the controls through the use of technology.

The issue was the responsibility of the departments of Defence and Justice rather than Transport, said Mr Jacob.

Dublin Airport has a drone detection system but it cannot take down drones, he explained. The sooner a system to take down drones was introduced the better, he said.

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Meanwhile, enhanced technological solutions to counter the appearance of drones over Dublin Airport are to be considered by Government, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has said.

Significant flight disruption was caused at the airport over the bank holiday weekend following sightings of unmanned aircraft which pose a major threat to airline safety.

Mr Ryan said the measures taken in response, including the suspension of flight operations, were in line with international best practice.

On Tuesday evening, he and Junior Minister Jack Chambers met with officials from DAA, which runs the airport, the Irish Aviation Authority, the Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána.

“The Ministers will engage across Government to strengthen our ability to deal with such incidents, including exploring the potential for enhanced technological solutions,” they said in a statement issued afterwards.

“A policy framework for unmanned aircraft system (drones) is also in development and will include measures on enforcement and compliance.”

[ Delay in introducing counter-drone system leaves Dublin Airport vulnerable to more shutdowns ]

The incidents rekindled a debate on what can be done in response to the appearance of drones, whose pilots can be difficult to track down, but whose actions have been known to severely disrupt airport activity.

“The Ministers reiterated that they take this issue very seriously and will work closely with relevant State bodies to ensure that the illegal use of drones is tackled effectively,” the statement said.

“At an operational level, all the relevant bodies have committed to working together to ensure a rapid and effective response to such incidents. DAA have a drone detection system in operation that gives early warning of illegal drone activity and information garnered form this system is being used to pursue enforcement activity, including prosecution.”

Meanwhile, An Garda said they had received a report of a “confirmed sighting of a drone at Dublin Airport” shortly after 7pm on Monday. Gardaí were dispatched to the area and searches were carried out. While nothing was found, and no arrests were made, the matter was being “fully investigated”.

Garda sources ruled out the possibility of shooting down drones spotted at the airport was too dangerous.

The operators of Dublin Airport, DAA, said while reports of drones were received on Friday, Saturday and Monday, it had concluded there were no drones present on Friday. However, the reports on both Saturday and Monday were confirmed and were under investigation by the Garda.

“DAA is keen to see prosecutions follow in the near future to help send a clear message to drone owners that the flying of drones within the five kilometre exclusion zone around Dublin Airport is strictly forbidden and is illegal,” it said in reply to queries.

It also described as “reckless” the flying of drones close to the airport, adding the incident over the Bank Holiday Weekend has caused disruption to passengers and airlines.