The airport in Islamabad requested that drone use near the runway be prohibited After a drone alarmingly approached an aircraft.
The orders were issued after a UN plane flying from Kabul spotted a drone eight nautical miles from the runway and flying at the height of about 3,400 feet on January 16.
airport manager’s notification
According to the airport manager’s notification:
Notification to the police and district administration, the UN B-190 aircraft with flight number UN-355H was approaching at around 2:30 pm when it noticed the drone flying at an altitude of roughly 3,400 feet.
At the same time, the aircraft’s altitude was 3,700 feet.
According to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, the drone was flying in Phase VIII of Bahria town in Rawalpindi (PCAA).
Syed Aftab Ali Shah Gilani, Chief Operating Officer of Islamabad International Airport, requested assistance from the Regional Police Officer (RPO) and Commissioner Rawalpindi after receiving a second flight hazard complaint within a month.
Islamabad Airport has requested in writing that drone flights be prohibited in funnel areas.
On January 8, the pilot of a Pakistan International Airlines flight out of Dubai reported that a green laser light had targeted an aircraft.
The aircraft was scheduled to land on Runway 28L, six nautical miles from the airport.
airport’s operations director
According to the airport’s operations director:
Drones not only increase the risk of aircraft collisions, but they also raise security concerns if they are equipped with tracking devices or improvised explosive devices.
The Rawalpindi police chief has been asked to increase patrolling and combing operations in order to find trespassers in the funnel areas that extend from each end of the runway where planes land and take off.
In addition, the COO suggested that Section 144 be applied to drone activities near the airport.
The PCAA has also charged the RPO Rawalpindi with taking action against any activities that could result in a tragic accident.
According to aviation experts, the primary air safety risks for civil aviation operations are drones and laser lights.
In August 2021:
The drone-like object was spotted in Islamabad’s Banigala and Bhara Kahu neighbourhoods.
And alerting security agencies and prompting the launch of a search operation.
The device could be seen in the sky near the prime minister’s residence and other significant structures nearby.
An unauthorised drone flight had previously been reported to authorities.
After a remote-controlled drone crashed at the Orange Line train terminal in Thokar Niaz Beg on November 22:
The police and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) launched an emergency response in response to rumours that Chinese engineers were working on the project.
Drones endanger more than just aircraft near airports.
Several commercial aircraft have encountered various hazards.
While landing and taking off in Pakistan in recent years, some have met with accidents or avoided them.
The most common threat is bird collisions with aircraft.
In 2022, the PCAA stated that it was considering purchasing bird-repellent systems to be installed at major airports to reduce bird activity.
The PCAA reports that 662 incidents were reported between 2018 and May 2022.
Six of the 662 aircraft were severely damaged.
94 were slightly damaged.
And the remaining 562 were unharmed.
116 bird strikes were reported in 2018, 165 in 2019, 141 in 2020, 142 in 2021, and 48 in 2022 through the month of May.
Pavan Manzoor is an experienced content writer , editor and social media handler along with a track record of youth-oriented activities in Pakistan and abroad. She was selected as a fully-funded delegate as a leadership fellow in Turkey. She also led a team of 5 volunteers at the week-long Young Professionals Fellowship in Maldives. She is also a member of the Youth Standing Committee on Higher Education.
