Predicting drone flight path could prevent airport closures

Academics at Cambridge University have developed a system to predict the flight path of drones which they claim can help prevent the closure of major airports.

It comes after over one thousand flights were cancelled or diverted when drones were spotted near Gatwick in December 2018.

No culprit was found, and there was criticism over the amount of time it took for the runway at the West Sussex airport to reopen.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge say a combination of statistics and radar data makes it possible to predict whether a drone intends to enter the restricted airspace.

They believe this can enable airports to focus on responding to drones that pose a potential threat.

The results of the study will be reported at the Sensor Signal Processing for Defence Conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday.