The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has received legal approval to implement countermeasures against drone incursions, following the telecom regulator Comreg’s authorisation of new guidelines for anti-drone technology.
Drone-related incidents at Dublin Airport in 2023 resulted in significant disruptions, grounding flights and inconveniencing thousands of passengers, costing the aviation industry over €1m.
The DAA currently employs a drone-detection system that can differentiate between drones and birds, and the new license allows the use of advanced technologies, such as signal jamming to neutralize unauthorized drones.
With government consent, the DAA is upgrading its capabilities to prevent future drone-related runway closures. It says that measures are in place for effective 24/7 counter-drone operations and reminds the public that flying drones without permission within 5km of the airport is illegal.
With the consent of Environment, Climate and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan, Comreg has now amended legislation to allow new anti-drone technology to be used by the DAA at Dublin Airport.
Dublin airport shared “We are limited in what we can say on the drone technology we have in place for obvious safety and security reasons. This approval is merely a formalisation of the licence process. Dublin Airport has had counter-drone technology in place since July 2023, which has been operated under a ‘test licence’. Dublin Airport is fully equipped, and the team fully trained, to deal with rogue drones on a 24/7 basis, should the need require. We would remind the public that it is illegal to fly a drone without permission within 5km of Dublin Airport.”
