Illegal use of drones causes problems at Norwegian airports

The illegal use of drones around Norwegian airports is a growing problem for Avinor. At Oslo Airport alone, such instances happen 50 times a month.

In Norway, flying a drone closer than five kilometers from airports is not permitted unless otherwise agreed. Avinor, which is the largest owner of Norwegian airports, feels that the problem of illegal drone flights around the airports is growing, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) writes.

“Illegal drone use has severely disrupted air traffic at several of Avinor’s airports in several cases,” Mats Gjertsen, head of traffic management and detection of drones at Avinor, stated.

“In the worst case, a collision between a plane and a drone can lead to a plane crash. At Avinor, we take the use of drones around the airports very seriously and report to the police any case where drones pose a danger to air traffic,” Gjertsen said.

The fines start at NOK 8,000 and go up, depending on the risk level. If an airport has to close because a drone has been observed in the area, it can trigger liability in the millions of kroner.

“We see that many of those who buy drones for private use do not know the regulations well enough,” Per Øyvind Haugen in the Police Directorate stated.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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