It is not feasible to use radio wave interference to prevent uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) from entering the restricted airspace around airports and surrounding areas, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday.
The idea was raised after Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) was shut down twice on Friday because of the intrusion of an UAV into airport’s airspace, affecting eight flights and 589 passengers.
The method was used successfully to prevent drones from interfering with the UAV show at the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Pingtung County’s Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣), some civil aviation experts said.
However, researchers from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology conducted tests to see if the method could be used around airports, the agency said.
The tests found that while the radio systems did deter drones, they interfered with air traffic control facilities and cellphones in the area, the CAA said, adding that the technology was a greater threat to aviation safety than the UAVs.
The method could be used in Dapeng Bay because there were no important navigation facilities nearby, it said.
Most new UAV models have built-in electronic fences, which would limit the altitude at which UAVs could fly if in a no-fly zone for drones, the agency said.
The drone that intruded on Songshan airport on Friday could have been an older model or one not equipped with electronic fences, or it was possible the owner had deactivated its electronic fences, the agency said.
It said it was assessing several other methods proposed by the institute to prevent UAVs from threatening airport safety.
Under the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), people convicted of flying objects around airport that interfere with aviation safety could be fined between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million (US$9,713 to US$48,563).
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