CISA Critical Infrastructure Sector
Airport drone detection
Airports, rail, ports and freight corridors are where unauthorized drone activity intersects manned aviation most directly. A drone near an active runway is not a hypothetical inconvenience. It is an operational hazard with an existing rule against it and a certification manual that already has to plan for it.
Where The Exposure Is
Four things that make this sector different.
MANNED-UNMANNED CONFLICT
Nowhere else does unauthorized drone activity carry the same immediate collision risk with manned aircraft on approach, departure or ground movement.
MULTI-MODAL FOOTPRINT
Airports, seaports, rail yards and freight corridors each carry their own security regime and their own exposure profile. A single operator may be answerable to more than one of them.
NO SITE MITIGATION AUTHORITY
An airport can restrict access to its own property, but it cannot act against a drone in its airspace. That authority sits with federal agencies and, since July 2026, state and local law enforcement and correctional agencies certified under the SAFER SKIES Act.
CONTINUOUS OPERATING TEMPO
Ports and rail corridors run freight movements around the clock. Detection and reporting cannot depend on a staffed watch being present at the moment activity occurs.
Regulatory Context
Airports operate under TSA airport security programs (49 CFR 1542.103), and, according to the FAA, Part 139 certificated airports must include a UAS response plan in the Airport Certification Manual. 14 CFR 107.43 separately prohibits drone operations that interfere with airport operations. Airports have no mitigation authority of their own. Seaports fall under MTSA (33 CFR Part 105): a facility security assessment and a Coast Guard-approved Facility Security Plan, audited annually under 33 CFR 105.415 and valid for 5 years under 33 CFR 105.410. Rail and transit operators must designate security coordinators under 49 CFR 1570.201 and report significant security concerns to TSA within 24 hours under 49 CFR 1570.203. Railroad facilities are also an eligible site type under the FAA’s proposed Section 2209 rule, which is not yet final.
A DVRA feeds the airport’s UAS response plan, the MTSA facility security assessment and annual audit, and the rail operator’s TSA reporting procedure, depending on the mode in question.
How An Engagement Applies Here
The same four pillars, scoped to this environment.
Common questions
Has ClearPoint worked with organizations in this sector?
This page describes how our method applies to the environment, not a client list. ClearPoint does not publish client or engagement records.
What does an engagement here usually start with?
A DVRA scoped to the mode in question. For an airport that means the runway environment and approach paths, for a port the facility perimeter and berths, for rail the yard and adjacent corridor.
Does the Airport Certification Manual require detection technology?
Part 139 certificated airports must include a UAS response plan in the Airport Certification Manual. The plan describes how the airport responds to drone activity. It does not by itself specify a detection technology, so an exposure assessment should come before selecting one.
Can airport staff act against a drone near the runway?
No. Airports have no drone mitigation authority of their own. 14 CFR 107.43 prohibits drone interference with airport operations, but enforcement and any mitigation rest with federal agencies and, in narrow circumstances, certified law enforcement.
Can you stop a drone over our facility?
No. In the United States, mitigating a drone is limited to federal agencies with statutory authority and, since July 2026, to state and local law enforcement and correctional agencies certified under the SAFER SKIES Act. ClearPoint does not mitigate. ClearPoint detects, tracks, assesses, documents, trains and coordinates with the agencies that hold that authority.
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