Drones and airports: What you need to know

SELL: As drones become more prevalent near airports, we run down the rules

With a new report commissioned by air traffic control body Airservices Australia predicting 60 million drone flights in Australia per year by 2043, up from 1.5 million last year, the likelihood of drone flights near controlled airports is also set to increase dramatically.

Drone detections in airport no-fly zones were on the rise in the 2023 financial year, according to Airservices’ Australian Aviation Network Overview. There was a 16.3 per cent increase in average daily drone flights in FY2023 vs FY2022, and December 2022 was the highest month for detections, with 5,258 drone activities spotted near airports.