US to get tough as drone disrupts Pittsburgh airport

Robert Besser
09 Jun 2023, 13:18 GMT+10

The Federal Aviation Administration has said that a drone sighting disrupted some flights at Pittsburgh International Airport this week
In a statement, the agency said that as local law enforcement attempted to locate the drone operator, it temporarily suspended some arrivals and departures
Drones near airports continue to pose risks to aviation and cause delays and millions of dollars worth of economic damage

WASHINGTON D.C.: The Federal Aviation Administration has said that a drone sighting disrupted some flights at Pittsburgh International Airport this week.

In a statement, the agency said that as local law enforcement attempted to locate the drone operator, it temporarily suspended some arrivals and departures, adding that planes faced up to an hour delay in arrivals because of the incident.

Drones near airports continue to pose risks to aviation and cause delays and millions of dollars worth of economic damage.

In July 2022, the Homeland Security Department told Congress that since 2021 the Transportation Security Administration reported nearly 2,000 drone sightings near US airports, "including incursions at major airports nearly every day. The most serious drone incidents force pilots to take evasive action during takeoff and landing to avoid potentially fatal collisions."

Congress has been debating the approval of expanded powers to detect and disable drones that pose risks.

The White House also wants to extend the powers of the TSA for airports and the US Marshals Service for prisoner transportation to detect, destroy or disable threatening drones.

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