Would Make Operating Near An Airport Or Prison A Criminal Offense

New drone restrictions are being prepared in the U.K. following what was described an incident in which a drone came within about three feet of hitting a commercial airliner on approach to Liverpool John Lennon Airport on April 22.

The U.K. newspaper The Telegraph reports that the Airbus A319 had 156 passengers on board, according to the report, and the U.K. Airprox Board, which monitors near collisions, said that the drone passed within a meter ... or about three feet ... of the airliner's wingtip. “It was initially presumed to be a bird,” the board said. “However, as it got closer the [flying officer] realized it was a blue drone with flashing lights . . . His inability to avoid the object portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident.”

In response to the incident, the government is preparing new rules that may be introduced as early as this week which would make flying a drone in a designated "no-fly" zone such as a prison or an airport a criminal offense. The current maximum penalty of £2,500 ... about $3,200 ... would be sharply increased.

While reports of "near misses" between manned aircraft and drones have been on the rise, particularly with the number of drones in the hands of consumers and businesses increasing, many have been debunked as being other objects.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report, www.airproxboard.org.uk/home/