Aviation officials: Flying drones near manned aircraft is dangerous

The recent case of the illegal use of a drone to film a firefighting plane in action on the island of Hvar indicates that the public remains unaware of the danger to lives and property caused by flying drones near aircraft.

Also, air controllers recently received three reports of drones approaching dangerously close to passenger planes at airports in Split and Dubrovnik.

In response, Croatia’s Civil Aviation Agency is warning drone flyers to abide by the rules of drone use in order to avoid what could be fatal consequences.

Denis Martinović, a shift leader at the Croatian Air Traffic Control, emphasized the importance of observing the ban on drone flights when water bomber planes are in the air.

“Firefighters are the ones who warn us and raise their planes when there is a fire. Through the army, we receive information on the location of the operation and place restrictions on drones at the site of the fire and where the plane will grab water. Any aircraft flying without permission is illegal and it is a big problem,” said Martinović.

Dubravko Meco, executive director of the Air Traffic Management Sector of the Croatian Air Navigation Control, points out that registering drone flights through the AMC portal is simple and free.

“Any registered user can easily reserve airspace. The registration process is simple and takes only a few minutes,” said Meco.

However, unreported drone flights, especially near airports, are a major problem. Damir Bezik, head of the Unmanned Aircraft Department of the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency, cited recent examples of drones coming dangerously close to passenger planes in Split and Dubrovnik.

“We know that in one situation the drone was flying at a height of 3,000 feet. In the second situation, the drone was at 1,100 feet, and in the third situation, the co-pilot reported seeing the drone at a distance of approximately 50 meters from the aircraft,” Bezik said.

Bezik also warns of the potentially fatal consequences of drone collisions with passenger planes.

“The impact of a small light object on an airplane does not necessarily mean a disaster, but if it is a larger and heavier drone, the consequences can be significant. Various studies have been done on such cases, but I urge the public not gamble with people's lives. Simply put, we must not fly drones where we could encounter manned aircraft,” Bezik added.