balpa

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has called for research to be conducted to find out what would happen if a drone hits a plane, following a surge in near-misses.

According to a report of UK Airprox Board, there were 23 near-misses between airplanes and drones in just six months, from 11 April to 4 October last year.

In one such incident, a drone came close to ramming a Boeing 737, which was taking off from London Stansted Airport.

Other similar incidents took place at UK’s Heathrow, London City and Manchester airports.

The UK Proximity Board looked at seven incidents, four of which were categorised as category A, where there was a serious risk of crash present.

Welcoming the growth of drone technology, pilots have expressed their concerns over the disastrous outcome of a collision between a drone and a commercial airliner or helicopter.

"We must act now to protect passengers and flight crew and make sure a catastrophic crash does not happen."

They urged the aviation authorities to take necessary measures to curb such incidents.

BALPA flight safety specialist Steve Landells says: "Pilots can see that drones can be useful and fun to fly, but these near-misses are becoming too regular an occurrence.

"We must act now to protect passengers and flight crew and make sure a catastrophic crash does not happen. The authorities must enforce current regulations and make sure new ones, such as compulsory insurance and registration, are brought in without delay.

"Pilots want to ensure technology to prevent drones from flying in areas of dense air traffic are put in place and also want drone designers to liaise with air traffic controllers to look at ways they can adapt drones to ensure they can be seen easily on radars.

"As the growth of drones flying by hobbyists continues, education and training are increasingly becoming key. Anyone flying a drone must do so in a safe and sensible way."

Image: UK Airprox Board found 23 near-misses between airliners and drones in just six months last year. Photo: courtesy of British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA).