A man, who operated an unmanned aerial vehicle along the Nguyễn Tất Thành coastal road in Hòa Khánh Ward, Đà Nẵng City, at the local police station on Monday. —VNA/VNS Photo

ĐÀ NẴNG — Military authorities in the coastal central city of Đà Nẵng have detained an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) after it was flown illegally inside a restricted airspace zone, posing a potential threat to civil aviation safety along the Nguyễn Tất Thành coastal road in Hòa Khánh Ward on Monday.

At around 2pm, during a routine coastal patrol, officers from the municipal Military Command discovered a local man, residing in Hòa Khánh’s Residential Group 24, operating a flycam within a no-fly zone.

An inspection of the device and its stored data revealed that the man had repeatedly flown the drone unlawfully over several consecutive days.

Notably, during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, he had piloted the device into restricted airspace, creating a potential hazard to flight operations at Đà Nẵng International Airport.

At the scene, officers informed the individual of his breach of regulations governing the management and use of unmanned aerial vehicles under Government Decree No. 282/2025/NĐ-CP, which sets out administrative sanctions in the fields of security, public order and social safety.

Under Clause 11, Article 8 of the decree, flying an unmanned aircraft into restricted airspace carries an administrative fine of between VNĐ30 million (US$1,150) and VNĐ40 million (US$1,530), in addition to confiscation of the equipment.

The ward Military Command has drawn up a violation report, seized the drone and transferred the case file to the police for further investigation and handling in accordance with the law.

The incident follows previous disruptions caused by drones near the airport on February 17 and 22, when unauthorised aerial objects were reported in sensitive airspace close to the runway.

A total of 54 flights were forced to adjust their schedules, with several aircraft required to enter holding patterns after flight crews detected unidentified flying objects.

The municipal Military Command said the recent proliferation of unlicensed drones, including flycams and other UAVs, has become increasingly complex across the city, particularly in coastal areas, residential neighbourhoods near restricted zones and designated aviation safety corridors.

Unregulated drone use, without proper authorisation and in breach of altitude and operational limits, poses significant risks to aviation safety and may disrupt both civilian and defence flight operations.

To prevent further violations, the city’s Military Command has stepped up coordinated enforcement measures, working closely with the police and other authorities to intensify patrols, inspections and tracking efforts in order to detect and strictly handle breaches in a timely manner.

At the same time, the unit has expanded public awareness campaigns on regulations governing unmanned aircraft operations, targeting residential communities, flycam service providers, residents and tourists.

Businesses and individuals are being required to sign commitments not to violate restricted or limited flight zones, in a bid to strengthen legal compliance, enhance deterrence and ensure absolute safety for aviation activities across the city. — VNS