New laws on registering drones to come into effect this year

Over 11,000 drones are currently registered in Ireland.

Drone registration in Ireland has been mandatory since 2015, per the Irish Aviation Authority, with those of 1 kg or more and less than 25 kg needing to be properly registered. At the moment, over 11,000 drones are registered in the country but that figure is set to increase thanks to new laws that will require owners of drones that weigh over 250 grams to register their devices.

According to the IAA, there are 11,197 drones on the register in Ireland, up from 8,502 in December 2017.

For the first time ever, Europe-wide rules for the registration and certification of drones have been agreed.

It follows chaos at Gatwick Airport in London last month that led to major disruption of flights, with the culprit still unaccounted for.

Cork Airport was also affected when they were forced to halt flights due to drones in the sky.

Commenting on the new laws, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune urged those who own and operate drones to ensure that they are used in a careful manner.

“Many people will have gotten drones as Christmas presents this year and will be perhaps looking to purchase them in the January sales," said Clune.

"With an exponential year-on-year growth of drone-related incidents, it is quite clear that drones will be a major safety challenge in the years to come.

"We should never forget that drones can do harm to people, they are a significant security threat and a risk to aircraft."

Drones are considered to be unmanned aircraft which are remotely piloted or controlled.

“Drones are a sector of aviation that is fast developing and offers great potential to produce new jobs and growth," added Clune.

"The increased use of drones does however brings up a range of legal and commercial issues, including public safety.”