The drone flight ban area will be expanded after Gatwick's chaos

The no-fly zone around the airports must be expanded following the disruption in Gatwick in December, the government said.

As of March 13, it will be illegal to fly a drone within three miles of an airport, instead of the current one kilometer exclusion zone.

The government also said that he wanted the police to have new powers of arrest and research to combat the misuse of drones.

Gatwick was closed for more than a day after drone sightings near the runway.

This caused chaos among travelers, affecting more than 1,000 flights and about 140,000 pbadengers.

• Gatwick drones were in critical areas
• A drone disrupts Heathrow flights

Since then, airports have been trying to improve their drone detection procedures, but they continue to see illegal flights near their perimeter.

In January, departures at Heathrow were temporarily halted following the observation of a drone.

Transportation Secretary Chris Grayling said, "The law makes it clear that flying a drone near an airport is a serious crime.

"We are now going even further and expanding the no-fly zone to ensure the safety of our airports and our skies."

"Anyone flying his drone near an airport should know that it acts not only irresponsibly, but also criminally, and that she risks imprisonment."

Stop and search

It is already illegal to fly a drone above 400 feet or less than 1 km from the boundaries of an airport. Those who recklessly or negligently endanger an aircraft equipped with a drone risk up to five years in prison.

The government said the new powers of arrest and search would apply to people suspected of using drones for malicious purposes near airports.

The powers, which would be included in the government's new drone bill, would also allow the police to access electronic data stored on a drone.

The Association of Remote-Controlled Aircraft Systems (Arpas UK), which represents the drone sector, welcomed the no-fly zone, but warned about stop-and-search plans.

"The police will have to know exactly what the rules are and, in the exercise of its powers, will do it correctly," said Rupert Dent, a member of the Arpas UK committee.

"We want this to prevent legitimate operators from using drones in a legitimate manner."

Testimonials

Following the disruption in Gatwick, Susbad police arrested a drone enthusiast and his partner who lived near the airport, but they were released without charge on December 23 after being released from any involvement .

In a statement, the Susbad police said it still had not found the perpetrators, despite having 130 eyewitness accounts of illegal drone flights.

"We are continuing our criminal investigation, which presents a considerable challenge by its magnitude, as well as the type and quality of evidence immediately available," said a spokeswoman.

"Despite a £ 50,000 reward for public information leading the police to the person or persons responsible, we have not received the critical information that we believe exists within the community."