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…