Pilots who stray into controlled or restricted airspace are to being threatened with prosecution due to growing concerns at the large number of incidents in the UK, some of which have posed a threat to commercial passenger flights.
The Civil Aviation Authority said there were 670 incidents of pilots infringing controlled airspace last year – equating to one incident every five hours of daylight.
Despite the efforts of the CAA, air traffic controllers and the aviation industry, there has been little decrease in these numbers in recent years, it said.
While most are considered low risk, a small minority pose a serious threat to other aircraft, including commercial flights.
The CAA said that on occasions, commercial flights had been forced to divert due to general aviation pilots straying into their airspace. It put the cost of a Boeing 747 breaking off an approach to an airport and ‘going round’ at £100 a minute.
Now pilots who infringe controlled or restricted airspace will be asked to successfully complete an online test of thier airmanship skills and those who fail to do so within a month risk further ‘licensing action’, said the CAA.
The CAA said some incidents were not down to poor judgment on the part of the pilot but rather a result of miscommunication or misunderstanding with an air traffic controller.
"Only incidents in which the pilot had displayed poor judgment or insufficient knowledge would he/she be expected to undertake the assessment," it said. "In the most serious cases, where a pilot displays a wilful intent to fly unauthorised into controlled or restricted airspace, a criminal prosecution may still be resorted to."
Phil Roberts, head of airspace, air traffic management and aerodromes at the CAA, said: "Unfortunately, the number of infringements occurring in UK airspace remains stubbornly high.
"This represents an unacceptable safety risk for commercial, private and military aviation. This initiative, which has the full support of general aviation groups should increase much-needed awareness of the issue."
