Drones becoming 'real' threat to commercial aviation: IATA

Cannot allow them to be a hindrance or safety threat to commercial aviation, says IATA director general

Civilian drones are increasingly becoming a "real and growing threat" to the safety of commercial aviation, industry group International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned today, calling for regulations to be put in place before any serious accidents occur.

Tony Tyler, director-general of the International Air Transport Association, said the threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles is still evolving as people are only starting to discover the many potential, non-military applications of the technology.

"I am as excited as you are about the prospect of having pizza delivered by a drone," he said at an aviation conference in Singapore on the eve of the Singapore Airshow.

"They are here to stay. But we cannot allow them to be a hindrance or safety threat to commercial aviation," he told industry executives and air transport officials.

"We need a sensible approach to regulation and a pragmatic method of enforcement for those who disregard rules and regulations and put others in danger," he added.

As the use of drones expand from military to commercial and even recreational purposes, experts fear that these radio-controlled flying devices, if not regulated, could one day collide with a commercial aircraft with dire consequences.

"The issue is real. We have plenty of pilot reports of drones where they were not expected, particularly at low altitudes around airports... There is no denying that there is a real and growing threat to the safety of civilian aircraft (coming from drones)," said Tyler.

Rob Eagles, an expert on drones in IATA, said the industry group did not have figures on the number of drones in operation worldwide but anecdotal evidence showed they were mushrooming.

When the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered a registration of drones weighing up to 55 pounds (25 kilograms) last year, 300,000 were registered within just the first month in December, he said.

While 55-pound drones are considered small, "this just gives you an indicator of the number of vehicles," Eagles told AFP at the conference.

"There's going to be an increase in vehicles across the whole scope and range from small to medium size to the larger unmanned vehicles.