Newcastle International Airport

11 Apr 2022

"Following the Gatwick Airport shutdown in 2018, Newcastle Airport understood that unauthorised drones were an eventuality that we needed to plan for. Dedrone’s success supporting UK international airports, as well as their technology validation from CPNI, made them a natural choice to protect our operations. With Dedrone, Newcastle Airport can be alerted of any impending drone incursions, protect passengers and operations from drone-based disruptions, and continue to be the number one international gateway of choice for travellers to and from North East England". - RICHARD KNIGHT, COO NEWCASTLE AIRPORT

According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, it is illegal to fly a drone above 120m or within 5km of Newcastle Airport, and any other airport. Following the drone-instigated Gatwick airport shutdown of 2018, Newcastle Airport worked to educate the local public against flying near its airfield, to prevent disruptions, delays, closures or worse.

Newcastle Airport first needed to clearly understand and define its risk from drone incursions before putting together a response protocol. The airport approached Dedrone to install Dedrone’s CPNI-approved detection technology to safeguard its passengers and operations against unwanted drones.

With Dedrone, Newcastle Airport now understands drone usage, including the location of any nearby drone activity, the types of drones flown and which times of day they appear. Newcastle Airport now has a standard response protocol in the event there is a drone incursion. With this situational awareness, Newcastle Airport can prepare for and rehearse their drone intervention response and prevent disruption should a drone approach critical operations.

Challenge