Drone technology may not be implemented at airport for 'weeks', warns Eamon Ryan

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s News at One, Mr Ryan rejected claims by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary that all that was required was for the Government to give the Dublin Airport Authority the go ahead to use the technology. Photo: Damien Storan.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said that technology with the capability of bringing down drones will be introduced as quickly as can be done safely.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s News at One, Mr Ryan rejected claims by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary that all that was required was for the Government to give the Dublin Airport Authority the go ahead to use the technology.

“It is not as simple as Michael O’Leary says.” The airport would need the right equipment to tackle the issue, he said. “We want to make sure that we get it right."

He said he will bring a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday and that it would take a number of weeks to bring the issue to fruition.

In the meantime, his department would be looking at other measures that could assist in managing traffic at the airport and be less disruptive in the case of a drone sighting.

Mr Ryan said that the people who operated drones in this manner wanted attention and to disrupt the airport. 

Introducing other ways of coping would stop that, he explained.

The minister agreed that the issue should have been tackled “quicker”, but that he had been trying to keep the airport open post pandemic. 

All the authorities at the airport would be deployed to tackle the risk posed by drones. 

Any actions had to be taken carefully to ensure they did not have an impact on aviation, he cautioned.

The first action once the Cabinet gives its approval is the purchase of the necessary equipment and then a decision will have to be taken on who will deploy the new technology, he added. 

A number of suppliers were being considered.

Mr Ryan pointed out that anti-drone technology was continually evolving and the Government wanted to ensure that Dublin airport had the best equipment.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary. Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Earlier today, Mr O'Leary called for minister to "take action or resign."

According to Mr O'Leary, there is no need for legislation to allow the use of anti-drone technology at the airport.

He claims that "the minister just needs to empower the airport authority."

He should make a decision to take drones down. Who’s going to sue him? The drone operators?

"He is incompetent. He just needs to act. If he is not prepared to act then he should resign and retire to the leafy suburbs of Ranelagh and worry about bicycles,” Mr O'Leary said in a scathing interview on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme.

It comes after flight operations were cancelled at the airport again last night due to drone activity — the sixth such incident this year.