Police in Hordaland, western Norway, reported a serious near-accident on Tuesday when a flight from the domestic airline Widerøe almost collided with a drone at an elevation of around 5,500 feet over Os and Halhjem.
The Widerøe flight was on its way from the Torp airport in Sandefjord to the Flesland airport in Bergen when it reportedly passed the drone at a distance of just around 100 meters. The aircraft was said to be flying at a speed of 450 kilometers an hour.
“We’re viewing this as a serious aviation incident, and it was reported to police immediately,” Aslak Sverdrup, manager of the Bergen airport, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
Catharina Solli, information chief at Widerøe, said the airline was also concerned over the incident but said there “fortunately was no real danger, and the flight went in for landing in Bergen as usual.”
She noted that drones “have become very popular, and in combination with aviation, that’s not good, at least when folks aren’t aware of where they’re flying drones. Operating a drone at an elevation of 5,500 feet on the landing route at Flesland is absolutely not a good idea.”
Sverdrup agreed that drones can be dangerous for aircraft. An investigation was underway to track down who was operating the drone.
newsinenglish.no staff
