Drones have disrupted air traffic around the Leipzig/Halle and Dresden airports in Saxony eleven times so far this year. Unauthorized aircraft have been spotted six times at Leipzig Airport and five times at Dresden Airport. This was announced by German Air Traffic Control (DFS) in response to an inquiry from Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
Frankfurt/Main is the frontrunner with 37 drone sightings in the first nine months, ahead of Cologne/Bonn (13) and Düsseldorf (10).
According to the data, DFS registered 172 obstructions to air traffic caused by drones throughout Germany up to and including September. That is already more than in the entire previous year. 123 cases, or almost three quarters, occurred in the greater airport area. This is despite the fact that drone flights are prohibited within a radius of 1.5 kilometers around airports.
Drone sightings can have serious consequences
Who was flying the drones is not clear from an air traffic control overview. In many cases, hobby pilots are likely to be the cause. As a rule, aircraft pilots or the tower report drones. The federal air traffic control authority then decides what action to take.
"Drones can endanger arrivals and departures, which is why we always react immediately," explained a DFS spokesperson. "As soon as we become aware of a drone sighting, our tower only issues clearances for the unaffected area of the airport." In extreme cases, arrivals and departures are therefore stopped completely in such a situation. All activities would be closely coordinated with the airport and the police.
Worst case in Munich
Drone sightings on two consecutive days recently brought Munich Airport to a temporary standstill. Drones were spotted there on Thursday and Friday evening, as a result of which flight operations were temporarily suspended. The incidents have triggered a discussion about better protection for airports in Germany.
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