Joburg-bound passenger plane’s near miss with drone ’13 times’ above legal height limit
· The South African
A Johannesburg-bound passenger plane came within metres of a drone flying at almost 1.7 kilometres above the ground after taking off from London Heathrow.
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The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 was departing for Johannesburg on 8 June, 2026 when its crew spotted the drone near Chobham, Surrey.
The aircraft was at around 1 676 metres when the near-miss occurred. The drone came into the plane’s flight path more than 13 times its legal height limit.
In the UK, drones are permitted to fly at a maximum height of 400 feet (about 120 metres).
The incident has since been detailed by the UK Airprox Board, which investigates reports of aircraft coming dangerously close to other aircraft or objects.
Drone came within FIVE metres of passenger jet
According to the Board’s report, the First Officer spotted the drone passing down the right-hand side of the Boeing 787.
“[The drone] was about 5m away and slightly higher than the flightdeck windows but lower than the top of the tail,” the report stated.
“Sighting was too late and too fast to take any avoiding action. Drone was approximately 1m in diameter, of light colour with some dark contrast.”
The pilots subsequently contacted air traffic control, which warned other aircraft in the area.
The drone was then spotted by a second commercial aircraft, which was flying behind the Johannesburg-bound jet at around 1 524 metres.
Drones pose the biggest safety risk
The Airprox Board classified the 8 June incident as Risk Category A, its highest risk rating.
“Providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed,” the report continued.
Police were also informed, but the drone operator was not identified.
“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and the pilots immediately reported the incident to Air Traffic Control in line with our procedures,” Virgin Atlantic told The Mirror, who also reported that the plane was carrying 264 passengers.
How South Africa’s rules compare
The incident highlights just how tightly drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are regulated around aircraft and airports.
In South Africa, UAVs are regulated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) under Part 101.
The maximum recreational flight altitude of UAVs in South Africa is the same as the UK – 120m (400ft) above ground level – unless approved otherwise.
Pilots must keep UAVs at least 50m from people, buildings, and roads, and stay 10km clear of airports.
UAVs are only allowed to be flown within line of sight, and must not be operated at night.
No-fly zones include restricted or military airspace, crowds and gatherings, and all national parks (including Kruger, where even possessing a drone in a vehicle can lead to confiscation).