Drone (123rf)

A total of 122 flights have been disrupted due to illegal drone activities over the past four years, data showed Thursday, prompting calls for stricter measures and penalties.

From September 2020 to August 2024, a total of 506 cases of unauthorized drone activities were detected in the airspace around airports, and 122 cases affected flight operations, according to data from the Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation, submitted to Rep. Ahn Tae-jun of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

Among all drone-related disruptions, there were 84 flight delays, or 69 percent of the total, followed by 32 cases of temporary suspension of flights. There were 30 cases of aborted landing attempts, commonly known as “go-arounds,” and 8 cases of flight diversions.

In South Korea, drones are prohibited from flying within a 9.3-kilometer radius of airports without prior approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Violations can result in fines of up to 3 million won ($2,248).

“Illegal drones pose a serious threat to airport security and cause considerable damage to passengers,” Ahn said. “It is crucial to strengthen penalties for offenders and establish more effective surveillance systems to prevent illegal drone intrusions.”

Unauthorized drone activities disrupted airport traffic during this recent Chuseok holiday. On Sunday, A drone appeared near Gimhae International Airport in Busan, suspending aircraft operations for 17 minutes and causing eight flights to be delayed.

Last Friday, a suspected drone was spotted near a runway at Jeju International Airport, suspending flight operations for 48 minutes. As a result, six flights scheduled to head to Gimpo International Airport were diverted to Incheon International Airport due to Gimpo’s nighttime curfew, and one flight was canceled.

While the number of drone-related incidents has dropped thanks to campaigns to raise public awareness, the issue persists. The number of drones detected around airports decreased from 173 in 2021 to 104 in 2023. Most incidents occurred at Incheon International Airport.

The Transport Ministry has installed drone detection systems at major airports, including Incheon in 2020, Jeju in 2021 and Gimpo in 2022. Authorities plan to expand these systems to military-civilian airports like Gimhae, Cheongju and Daegu by the end of this year, with further installations at civilian airports such as Ulsan and Yeosu expected by 2026.