Dublin Airport launches safety awareness campaign for drone users

Ireland’s Dublin Airport has launched a safety awareness campaign to stop people flying drones near the airport.

Named the ‘No Drone Zone’, the campaign is specifically aimed at drone users to ensure that they operate their devices in a safe and responsible manner.

As part of the campaign, the airport authority has mounted signage on the airport’s perimeter fence declaring that operating a drone in the vicinity of the airport is prohibited by law.

Dublin Airport chief police officer Pat Bracken said: “Safeguarding the airfield at Dublin Airport is a key priority for us. Drones are becoming an increasingly popular way to film the countryside, however, they can cause serious damage to an aircraft.”

Bracken added: “We have been working with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to keep the airfield safe from drones and signs have now been mounted on the airport’s perimeter fence to ensure we keep Dublin Airport a No Drone Zone.”

Flying drones at the airport and near its vicinity may result in the device colliding with an aircraft or being ingested into the aircraft engine causing an accident.

IAA Safety Regulation director Ralph James said: “It’s essential that the general public understand that drone activity is prohibited from taking place within the vicinity of an aerodrome for safety reasons.

“There have been a couple of incidents of people using drones close to Dublin Airport, which have disrupted operations and drone users need to be aware of the rules for the safe operation of drones.”

“We have been working with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to keep the airfield safe from drones."

IAA provides airport operators with rules for drone operations and safety, and requires drones weighing more than 1kg to be registered with the organisation.

One of the busiest airports in Ireland, Dublin Airport recorded 215,000 aircraft movements last year.

In 2016, the number of passengers using this airport also increased by 11% to a record 27.9 million.

Dublin Airport serves 185 destinations located across 41 countries.