Deirdre Clune seeks drone rules
She welcomed the use of drones in agriculture and other sectors but said drones should be regulated for the safety of airline passengers. Ms Clune welcomed European Parliament proposals that unmanned drones of over 250g must be registered.
She cited incidents include a drone striking a British Airways Airbus A320 with 132 passengers and five crew on board in Heathrow Airport in March and a near-miss with an Aer Lingus flight from Paris to Dublin in April.
“Right now, drones can be bought for under €50,” said Ms Clune.
“These proposals widen the net of registration, and more importantly, ensure people operating drones in public spaces have the skills needed to fly the drone properly. We must ensure that passenger safety is a clear priority.
“Drones have important uses in agriculture including mapping out farming lands and spreading fertiliser.
"Throughout Europe, drones are already being used for aerial photography, safety inspections of infrastructure such as rail tracks, dams, bridges, or power grids and by national authorities in disaster relief and in mountain rescue operations.”
