Tourists banned from flying drones in the Arctic

Tourists banned from flying drones in the Arctic

The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), based in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen (Svalbard), has forbidden tourists to use drones on high-latitude tours, Interfax reported.

According to AECO Communications Manager Edda Falk, the association is toughening environmental requirements for operators and tourists for the sake of the Arctic and its fragile ecosystem, so they have introduced a ban on drone use. 

"Drones can fall down into the water and contaminate it," Ms. Falk explained at the conference Arctic Nautical Tourism as a Driver of Development in the Murmansk Region during the Murmansk International Business Week.

The AECO international organization was established in 2003. Tour operators of Northern Europe, Greenland and Spitsbergen which are members observe strict guidelines on environmental and navigation safety.