Heathrow boss calls for clampdown on drones

Heathrow’s chief executive has called on the Government to tighten legislation over drone usage, after a British Airways plane was believed to have been struck by one last week.

John Holland-Kaye said that while that there had been no confirmation that the plane was hit by a drone, if it made the Government take notice of the issue that was a good thing.

“It is the right thing for the Government to take action. People need to be more careful when flying heavy objects above people’s heads,” he said.

He said Heathrow’s staff had seen “a small increase” in people using drones near the airport’s perimeter. Heathrow has seen a strong start to the year with passenger numbers up 2.6% to 16.8 million in the first three months. Revenues climbed 3.2% to £642 million while ebitda was up 7.3% to £367 million.