Gatwick Airport ‘drone chaos’—the impact on commercial drone industry and regulation

Table of contents

• What were the key challenges highlighted by the drones incident at Gatwick?
• In light of the Gatwick incident, do the new registration requirements (due in force in 2019) do enough to increase the level of accountability and traceability of commercial drone operators?
• Is there anything more that can be done, through regulation, policing or technical advancement, which can prevent this type of incident from recurring in the future?
• What, if any, impact is this likely to have on the commercial drone industry—both in the UK and internationally?

Article summary

TMT analysis: Simon Phippard, Of Counsel at Bird & Bird, considers the impact that the Christmas 2018 ‘drone chaos’ at Gatwick Airport is likely to have on the commercial drone industry and regulation.