Dubai testing drone detectors after several airport incursions

Dubai is testing out ways to detect and track drones after a series of high-profile incursions upset flights at one of the world's busiest airports, the airport operator's top official said on Thursday. The increasing use of drones for commercial and leisure purposes globally has led to a rise in the number of near-misses with aircraft and infringements into no-fly zones, spurring calls for their use to be better regulated. Operations at Dubai’s main airport, the world’s busiest for international passengers, were halted for an hour on Oct. 29, delaying 40 flights. It was the third time they had been temporarily stopped in four months because of drones. “We have got to find a way of controlling it immediately,” Dubai Airports CE Paul Griffiths said. “We just cannot have any more closures caused by infringements of drones in controlled airspace.” Dubai Airports, which also oversees Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport, is conducting trials to create a tracking system to detect the real-time location of any nearby drone and the radio frequency on which it is being operated. Countries around the world are grappling with how to control the booming drone industry. In the United States, rules for commercial drone usage were published on Aug. 29. Hobbyists must register crafts with the FAA since December 2015. In September, aviation associations representing airlines, pilots and airports across Europe called for mandatory registration and training of drone users following a number of near-misses. Dubai airport authorities have not said why operators fly drones at the airport but suggest they are mostly leisure users unaware of the law or of how close they are to flying aircraft.<br/>