Australia’s drone use, and airport flight violations, are rising fast

Given the growing use of UAVs in the country mirroring similar rises worldwide, it’s not surprising Australia has also recorded an uptick in illegal drone flights in restricted airspaces – with recent air traffic oversight figures reflecting the extent of increased banned activity around major Aussie airports.

According to its most recent annual report, national air traffic control organization Airservices Australia said “drone activities in no-fly zones around Australian airports with air traffic services” increased by an average of 16.3% each day during the 18 months spanning January 2021 through June 2023, compared to the prior period examined.

The biggest rise of those violations occurred in Sydney, where UAV incursions jumped 21.7%.

The highest single month of unauthorized drone flights into the banned airspaces of Australia’s airports was December of last year, with a total of 5,258 violations.

Read: A tale of two drone shows ends in raves for Disneyland Paris and salvage work in Melbourne

The airport in Adelaide led the hit parade of increased illicit drone sorties over the period with a rise of 60.4%, while Brisbane recorded a jump of 22%, and Perth over 11%. The country’s major aviation hub in Melbourne, by contrast, reported a decline of 8.6%.

Unfortunately, the study does not provide global totals for unauthorized drone penetration of Australia’s restricted airport zones, nor explicit figures for each platform involved (bar graphs indicate 40,000 illicit flights in Sydney, and about 17,500 in Adelaide). 

It did, however, note Civil Aviation Safety Authority records showing a whopping 187% jump in licenses issued to drone pilots since fiscal year 2018 alone. That, Airservices Australia said, will necessitate commensurately increasing efforts by, and investments in air traffic control operations to keep the skies safe.

“(The rise) highlights the importance of continuing to develop comprehensive capabilities to enhance network resilience and ensure safety of all customers and communities,” the report said. “We continue to see rapid growth in the drone industry requiring ongoing development in capabilities to ensure the safety of the travelling public.”