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Lufthansa aircraft in drone near miss

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A Lufthansa aircraft narrowly missed colliding with a drone as it approached Warsaw’s main airport.

The drone came within 330ft of the Embraer 195 carrying 108 passengers, according to reports.

The Munich to Warsaw flight was at a height of about 2,500ft at the time, according to the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said.

Police are investigating the incident which occurred on Monday afternoon.

The Lufthansa landed safely and landing directions for other aircraft were changed until the area was clear.

The incident was first reported on the Aviation Herald website, which cited the pilots as telling air traffic controllers they “should take care of your airspace” and “it is really quite dangerous”.

The European Union is currently working on new regulations for drones to protect the safety and privacy of its citizens.

The regulations are due to be presented in the autumn as part of the European Commission’s new aviation package.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority said that in a separate incident an Airbus A320’s wing passed 20ft below a drone hovering at Heathrow.

The regulator said it had recorded six other incidents between May 2014 and March 2015 at airports around the UK in which drones and piloted craft almost collided.

“Drone users must understand that when taking to the skies they are entering one of the busiest areas of airspace in the world,” said Tim Johnson, director of policy at the CAA.

Recklessly endangering an aircraft is a criminal offence and those convicted could face a five-year jail sentence.

The authority has issued a set of safety guidelines which should help ensure drone flights do not impinge on other aircraft.

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