The proposed bill, due to be published in spring 2018, would ensure that owners of drones weighing more than 250g would need to register and sit a test.
The Pilots’ Union has welcomed the bill in light of recent incidents and near misses involving drones and aircraft. BALPA (British Airline Pilots’ Association) claims that there have been 81 incidents so far this year, compared to 71 last year, and only 29 in 2015. These new measures of increasing awareness of safe flying are seen as a step towards safe integration of drones into the airspace.
Further legal changes could mean that drones weighing more than 250g are completely banned from flying near airports or above 400 feet. this is part of a reaction to unsafe flying, such as the October incident at Gatwick airport that put 130 lives at risk, according to a UK Airprox Board Report.
Police will also be given new powers to ground and seize drones that may have been used in criminal activity. One of the main areas that drones are utilised is in smuggling contraband to prisons, such as drugs and mobile phones.
References: BBC
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