Enthusiasts of aerial drones - remote controlled model planes - and related businesses have expressed shock and horror over an incident where a drone was supposedly flown at the KL International Airport (KLIA).

A group, dubbed the Malaysian UAV Drone Activist Society (Mudas), on Wednesday launched an online petition protesting such acts, which they fear could endanger lives as this potentially interferes with air traffic.

“We also fully support the investigation by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Malaysian police regarding this matter to ensure that it does not happen again in the future. We always believe in safety first!” the petition states.

As of 6pm yesterday, the petition had gathered 35 signatures.

Photographer and videographer Eddie Putera Noordin, who uses drones to take photos and videos primarily for corporate and marketing purposes, said he was furious when he first saw the drone’s photos of aircraft approaching a runway.

“It was a senseless and irresponsible act by an overexcited hobbyist who thought that the little remote control thing is a toy - an enthusiast who believes that once purchased he can fly the remote-controlled aircraft anywhere and photograph anything he fancies,” Eddie told Malaysiakini when contacted on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kamarul A Muhamed, who founded the company Aerodyne Geospatial, said the incursion could have cost many lives as well as damaged the drone services industry.

The images began circulating on Facebook since Monday, but had been posted on the image sharing service Instagram at least three months earlier.

The aerial photos, ostensibly taken with a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter near KLIA, depict an AirAsia and an Arab Saudi Airlines aircraft approaching the runway.

The DCA prohibits small drones like the Phantom 2 from flying within 1.5 nautical miles (2.8km) from airports, except with permission from air traffic controllers, among other restrictions.

Kamarul said the DCA’s regulations for larger drones that can lift more than 20kg aloft are adequate, although it would be more cost-effective to have separate licensing for its operators instead of requiring a Private Pilot Licence (PPL), as done in Australia and Europe.

The smaller drones are the ones open to abuse, he said, and tackling this would require more work to raise awareness about drone safety, as well as stronger deterrents against irresponsible drone users.

“For hobbyists, I personally do not think regulatory control is necessary. Just more awareness programmes. If anything, perhaps a mandatory attendance to a safety and operational briefing,” Kamarul told Malaysiakini yesterday when contacted.

However, he said, he would not be surprised if regulators such as the DCA imposed a certification process and tighter requirements to prevent a recurrence, in line with regulations enacted by their counterparts abroad.

‘Consider legitimate uses’

Meanwhile, Eddie said he hoped the government would consider legitimate uses for drones when tackling the drone phenomena.

“There are a lot of people out here, both hobbyists and professionals, who have invested in drones. Hopefully, the actions of one bad apple will not be a jeopardy to all,” he said.

The proliferation of small, affordable drones around the world have made it cheaper to perform tasks that previously required hiring a conventional aircraft or satellites, which in Malaysia now includes aerial photography, surveying disaster sites, monitoring the health of crops and more.

Both Eddie and Kamarul also claimed credit for helping the government’s flood relief efforts late last year, by using their drones to map the extent of flood waters and helping plan the relief operations.

However, the widespread availability of drones has also sparked safety concerns, including near misses with manned aircraft, and an incident in the US last month where a drone trespassed into the White House compound.

A drone was also found in the US-Mexican border with bags of methamphetamine taped to it.

To allay some of the concerns, drone manufacturer DJI has installed software on its drones to prevent it from flying near airports, while a future update is expected to also prevent the drones from crossing national borders.

However, to date none of Malaysia’s airports, including KLIA, are listed in the no-fly zones programmed into the drones.

When contacted, a DJI spokesperson told Malaysiakini that the company is still working on adding more airports to the list, and this would include more than 10,000 airports in the coming months.

“Simultaneously, we are working with regulators across the world to improve education on flight safety and local regulations.

“This includes reminders in the app to keep flight plans within the parameters of local rules - the majority of which restrict flight near airports - and have included pamphlets on local flight laws in countries where the local regulators have developed clear legal parameters for flights,” the spokesperson added in an email on Wednesday.

Malaysiakini has also contacted DCA since Tuesday evening with questions regarding Malaysia’s future direction in regulating drones, but has yet to receive a response.