Drone flight bans extended to New York critical infrastructure

NEW YORK – The US Federal Aviation Administration imposed a month-long ban on drones flying over critical infrastructure in New York, a day after announcing the same measure for New Jersey.

The agency announced 30 temporary flight restrictions in the state, according to a statement on Dec 20.

Areas covered by the latest New York ban include facilities in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

The prohibitions come amid a flurry of reported drone sightings in the US north-east, which has captured the attention of the public and local officials.

The White House and other US agencies have said the drones do not appear to pose a threat to national security or public safety, and that many of the sightings are “a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars mistakenly reported as drones”. BLOOMBERG

Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.