Drone sightings near airports: Will it affect holiday travel? Experts weigh in
Experts share what holiday travelers should know after reports of drone sightings are made near airports in the northeast, with one airport temporarily halting operations.
As Americans brace for holiday travel, flyers might be thinking about whether the uptick in drone sightings will affect take-off and landing.
Drone sightings across the northeast skies have been reported with some spotted near or over airport spaces.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects nearly 40 million people to fly over the holidays, according to the agency's website.
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Sightings have been reported near airports in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, according to several airports in those states that confirmed the sightings to Fox News Digital.
The New York Stewart International Airport (SWF), a public and military airport in Orange County, had "multiple reported drone sightings near and over the airport," a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
SWF shut down the airport runway for over an hour on Friday night in response, and had no safety impacts on aircraft.
Brett Velicovich, Fox News contributor and CEO of Expert Drones, told Fox News Digital via email, "now it's affecting our economy, by not allowing flights to depart on time."
He added, "The airports can’t do anything else but shut down traffic even if there is just a reported sighting. Out of precautions for safety [airports] have to, and that’s the issue is [drone operators] can’t be tracked easily and can quickly shut down traffic and cause mass disruptions."
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The FBI has received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks following 100 of the cases, according to the FBI's site.
On Saturday, two men were arrested "following a hazardous drone operation near Logan Airport’s airspace," according to a Boston Police Department press release.
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Port Authority [Massport] told Fox News Digital via email that airport operations were not disrupted.
"Our greatest concern with UAS [unmanned aircraft system] is that one, purposefully or accidentally, strikes an active aircraft which has the potential to be catastrophic," said the spokesperson.
Adding, "when UAS are detected in the restricted airspace they can impact operations, and cause delays and even shut down an airport."
The spokesperson said law enforcement agencies have detection equipment that monitors the restricted airspace around Logan and pilots report any sightings.
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Richard Levy, retired pilot for a major international airline and Aviation Expert, told Fox News Digital via email the drone sightings will "probably not" impact holiday travel.
"The exception: an unauthorized flight of drone into controlled airspace near an airport will cause an immediate ‘ground stop’ on all departures prohibit any approaches and landings until the drone(s) have positively left the area," said Levy.
Levy said it is not common for pilots to spot drones.
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"The Flight Crew (pilots) are focused on instruments and the runway environment. We are not looking for drones. But these days, we will be extra cautious because of the number of reported sightings of drones," said Levy.
The FAA spokesperson said, "Although the distance can vary depending on airport size, drones are generally not allowed to fly within 5 miles of airports without FAA authorization."
"We receive more than 100 drone sighting reports near airports each month and want to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal," the FAA spokesperson said.
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