Your flight has been delayed. Could a drone be the perpetrator?
A 'No drone' sign hanging on the fence of an airport
Chaos struck at Tianjin Binhai International Airport in northern China on September 11 when drones infiltrated the airspace, forcing a halt to all flights.
The disruption, which began at 7:33pm, led to 29 delayed flights, eight cancellations and 32 planes rerouted to other airports. Over 3,000 passengers were affected.
By midnight, the airport issued an official statement confirming that the delays were caused by drone interference. The next evening, the same airport faced another drone disruption that affected operations.
The incidents point to a growing problem arising from the rapidly expanding use of low-flying, unmanned aircraft, both as a recreational hobby and in sectors such as logistics, agriculture and film production. The challenge for authorities is to ensure that drones don't pose hazards to public safety.
"Drone intrusion into flight paths can pose a serious threat to aviation safety, much like bird strikes," Liu Chunquan, a senior partner at Shanghai Duan & Duan Law Firm and an aviation expert, told Shanghai Daily.
Concerns mount as incidents of airport disruptions increase.
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in northwest Shaanxi Province reported drone-related disruptions affecting 40 flights in a five-hour span.
In 2017, Kunming Changshui International Airport in the southwestern province of Yunnan recorded four separate drone-related incidents. One of the drones came perilously close to a passenger jet at just about 50 meters.
Around the same time, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Sichuan Province experienced eight drone incursions within two weeks, leading to 114 diverted flights and tens of thousands of stranded passengers.
Certified drone models should have electronic maps with built-in restrictions, but drones seen near airports may indicate those systems have been tampering with, Liu said.
Flight radar shows an Air China passenger aircraft forced to circle over Tianjin Airport due to drone disruptions.
Despite strict regulations that ban drones in controlled airspace near airports, the accessibility and ease of modifying drone technology make enforcement daunting.
Most consumer drones come equipped with "geofencing" technology, which prevents them from entering restricted airspace. These electronic "fences" are built into the drone's software, stopping it from taking off near airports or automatically landing if it breaches restricted zones.
In no-fly zones, for instance, most drones are not allowed to fly at altitudes higher than 120 meters, after filing flight activity reports.
"Drones sold on the market generally won't lift off near airports," Zhu Peng, chief executive officer of Shanghai Zhifei Aviation Technology, told the Shanghai Observer.
However, some drone enthusiasts have found ways to bypass these safeguards.
Zhu said some users modify their drones or build custom drones without built-in restrictions, allowing them to fly into restricted areas to take exclusive photos.
In other cases, hobbyists hack commercial drones to disable their electronic "fences." An online search reveals many vendors offering drone modification services to help users override geofencing limits.
Some vendors cater to specific needs like racing or aerial photography by providing custom components or instructions on how to bypass safety protocols.
A former drone engineer, identified only by the pseudonym Wang Linfeng, explained that signal interference or physical obstacles can also cause drones to lose control.
When a drone goes out of range, it may lose signal, hover, land or automatically return to its starting point. During return, until the drone regains a signal from its remote controller, pilots cannot manually control it, increasing the risk of a drone veering into restricted or no-fly zones.
"While the likelihood of this happening is low, it remains a technical issue that requires attention," Wang noted.
All flights were suspended at Tianjin Airport on September 11 due to drone activity.
China has responded with a stricter legal framework to address the growing threat of drone disruptions.
Under regulations, all drones must be registered, and operators must apply for specific flight permits if they exceed 120 meters in altitude or fly near restricted zones.
The "Interim Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aircraft," implemented on January 1, prohibits flying drones in controlled airspace near airports without proper authorization. Violations can result in fines or even criminal charges for endangering public safety.
Several cases have already led to arrests.
In February 2021, police detained 10 individuals responsible for drone disturbances at Xining Caojiapu International Airport in the far western province of Qinghai. Six were placed under administrative detention.
Earlier this year, police in the southern province of Guangdong arrested two men for flying drones near Shaoguan Danxia Airport, resulting in fines and 10 days of detention.
In September, authorities in the southwestern city of Chongqing detained a man for illegally disabling his drone's geofencing to fly near Jiangbei International Airport.
"Operating drones in restricted areas near airports is a serious offense," said lawyer Liu.
"Violators could face fines or imprisonment if their actions endanger public safety. Modifying drones to bypass security features can also result in criminal charges related to illegal control of computer systems."
The problem of drone disruptions at airports is not unique to China.
In December 2018, London's Gatwick Airport experienced a major drone disruption that grounded over 1,000 flights and affected more than 140,000 passengers during a 36-hour standoff.
Despite efforts by authorities, the drones were not immediately located, leading to one of the most significant airport disruptions in the UK's history. Gatwick was forced to invest millions of pounds in anti-drone technology to prevent future incidents.
In January 2019, Newark Liberty International Airport in the United States also experienced delays when a drone was spotted flying close to the runway, causing incoming flights to be temporarily suspended.
Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest hubs in the Middle East, saw operations disrupted in February 2016 after drone activity forced a 69-minute closure of its airspace.
Last year, Australia's air traffic control body reported that 5,258 drone activities were spotted near airports in December 2022 alone. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, it reported a 16 percent increase in average daily drone flights.
Drone engineer Wang pointed out that the rise in drone incidents mirrors the rapid expansion of the drone industry, which has outpaced regulatory controls.
"We're seeing more unauthorized flights because the technology is advancing faster than the laws can catch up," Wang said.
Lawyer Liu said the presence of drones disrupting airport operations highlights the lack of adequate legal awareness.
In addition to public media efforts, local governments in these protected areas should work with community organizations to further raise public awareness, he said.
