Airprox: 117 drone incidents in the UK in 2018

After 36 hours of chaos, Gatwick Airport's runway is finally open with a small number of flights in operation. The airport closure was due to drone activity in the airspace, affecting about 110,000 passengers. According to UK regulations, it is illegal to fly a drone within 1 km of the airport boundary and at an altitude of more than 400 feet.

Data from the UK's Airprox Committee shows that the number of cases of drones interfering with civilian and military air traffic has risen sharply in recent years. As of November 2018, a total of 117 such incidents were recorded, an increase of 93 in 2017. There were 71 in 2016 and only 29 in 2015.

According to Goldman Sachs estimates, the global drone market will reach $100 billion in 2020.

The consumer drone market includes fixed-wing drones, rotary-wing drones, and hybrid drones. According to Grand View Research, the global consumer drone market will reach $11.29 billion from 2018 to 2026, maintaining a compound annual growth rate of 20.9% during this period.

With the popularity of drones, more and more accidents have been caused, which has led to the rise of anti-drone technology. According to a report by MarketsandMarket, the anti-drone market was around US$499 million in 2018 and will reach US$2.276 billion by 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of about 28.8%. The main driving force is the security breach incidents caused by unidentified drones and the growth of terrorism and illegal activities using drones around the world.