Drones around airports a no-go, Marlborough District Council says

Kira Carrington, Local Democracy Reporter

The last thing you want to see as a pilot or passenger coming into land at the airport is someone’s drone in your airspace.

Yet, according to Marlborough District Council, it is happening with increasing frequency and an increasing amount of near misses. Under the Civil Aviation Act 2023, drones are prohibited from operating within 4km of an airport without approval.

Recently the airspace around Marlborough Airport was closed, and the police notified, after a drone was spotted within 1km of the airport, council said in astatement.

Marlborough Airport chief executive Dean Heiford said that when drones are spotted flying too close to the airfield, breaches are reported to the Civil Aviation Authority.

“Safety is our number one concern, and closing the airfield impacts incoming and outbound flights,” Heiford said. “Unauthorised drones flying within 4km of Marlborough Airport pose a serious risk to aviation safety and have an immediate effect on our air transport operations here at Woodbourne.

“It can cause long flight delays, as aircraft attempting to land must keep circling while drone operators are located on the ground.”

In April 2024, a drone almost collided with an Air NZ flight at 2000ft as came in to land at Auckland Airport. And a Napier man is set to go to trial in November for operating a drone several times near Hawke’s Bay Airport in 2023 without the consent of Napier aerodrome air traffic control.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has called for tighter regulations on drone usage, including licensing drone operators, registering drones, and using remote identification and geo-fencing technology to prevent future incidents.

Council said several drones have been spotted by pilots and security patrols close to Marlborough Airport in recent years.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.