Number of sightings of unauthorised drone flights this year expected to be nearly 1,100, and more than 1m drone sales predicted for next year

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Drone users in the US will soon be required to register their aircraft with the Department of Transportation in an attempt to address safety concerns over the growing number of unauthorised flights.



The register, to be unveiled on Monday, comes in response to concerns about a surge in incidents where drones have flown near airports and crowded public venues.



The announcement is expected to be made by the US treasury secretary, Anthony Foxx, and Michael Huerta, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at a news conference attended by drone industry figures.

The Obama administration will announce the formation of an independent advisory committee with the aim of creating the structure of a federal drone registry by December, according to two sources who were informed of the plan. The plans were first reported on Friday by NBC News.

The FAA has reported more than 650 unauthorised drone sightings between 1 January and 9 August, compared with 238 in the whole of 2014. If sightings continue at that rate, the number would near 1,100 by the year’s end.

The growth in sightings, and forecasts of more than 1m drone sales in the US next year, have raised concerns about drones colliding with commercial aircraft during landing or take-off, or being used as a weapon in a deliberate attack.

Officials say efforts to track down the owners of rogue drones have been frustrated in part by a 2012 congressional decision to bar the FAA from regulating recreational drones.

The FAA deputy administrator Michael Whitaker told a House panel last week that the agency was considering setting up a registry with manufacturers to keep track of drone owners, commercial and recreational.

Like other federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, the FAA is also testing technology that could be used to detect and track rogue drone flights that could pose a safety or security risk.

The sources said a new advisory and rule-making committee, to be announced next week, is expected to include representatives from the drone industry, the model aircraft community and airline unions.

Republicans and industry officials have blamed the FAA for the surge in rogue drone flights, saying the agency failed to produce final regulations for commercial drone flights in time to meet a 30 September congressional deadline. Final drone regulations are now expected early in 2016.