"The disruption was all the more alarming because it came just one month after reported drone sightings caused the shutdown of Gatwick Airport in London, one of the busiest in Europe.
The
upheaval at Newark illustrated how vulnerable the air-travel system is
to the proliferation of inexpensive drones that can weigh as much as 50
pounds and are capable of flying high and fast enough to get in the path
of commercial jets, experts on aviation safety and drone technology
said. It also raised questions about whether airports are prepared
enough to identify drones and prevent them from paralyzing travel and
leaving passengers stranded.
“This is a really disturbing trend,” said John Halinski, former deputy
administrator of the federal Transportation Security Administration. “It
is a real problem because drones are multiplying every day. They really
pose a threat in a number of ways to civil aviation.”"
