Incidents involving drones and aeroplanes have been occurring here and there.
Though the usage of drones in Portugal is regulated by legislation issued on December 14th, in truth, it is crucial to new safety rules if incidents between drones and aeroplanes such as the ones that have been taking place in close proximity to Portuguese airports are to be prevented.
The European Commission is working on a new European regulation for non-tripulated aerial vehicles which, unless anticipated, will only come into effect in 2018.
Meanwhile, as a result of recent incidents involving the presence of drones in the aerial pathway of aeroplanes in Portugal, GPIAAF (the office for the investigation of accidents involving aircrafts and railways) has announced an investigation on the safety of airspace. This study will look at the history of this kind of incidents in our country, analyse the efficacy of our country’s existing legislation on this issue and compare it with what is being done in other countries to prevent this sort of incident.
The Portuguese government is in the process of issuing legislation making it mandatory to register drones heavier than 250 grs.
New safety rules preventing incidents between drones and aeroplanes are urgently required.
