Use of drones to become much easier in India, says Aviation ministry- Key takeaways of draft rules

“In a major fillip to the drone industry, I am happy to present the Draft Drone Rules 2021 that mark a stark shift from the earlier UAS Rules. 10 key takeaways: Several approvals abolished & processes made easier; number of forms reduced from 25 to 5; coverage of drones increased from 300 kg to 500 kg; fee reduced to nominal levels; yellow zone reduced from 45 km to 12 km from the airport perimeter; no flight permission required up to 400 ft in green zones...,” Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote.

(Picture credits: PTI)

No security clearance required before any registration or licence issuance. Easier process prescribed for transfer and deregistration of drones. No requirement of certificate of airworthiness, unique identification number, prior permission and remote pilot licence for R&D entities. Issuance of Certificate of Airworthiness delegated to Quality Council of India and certification entities authorised by it. 

(Picture credits: Twitter)

Digital sky platform shall be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system. There will be minimal human interface on the digital sky platform and most permissions will be self-generated.   

(Picture credits: Shutterstock)

Fee reduced to nominal levels. No linkage with the size of the drone. Safety features like ‘No permission – no take-off’ (NPNT), real-time tracking beacon, geo-fencing etc. to be notified in future. A six-month lead time will be provided for compliance. 

(Picture credits: PTI)

Yellow zone reduced from 45 km to 12 km from the airport perimeter. No flight permission required upto 400 feet in green zones and upto 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter. No pilot licence required for micro drones (for non-commercial use), nano drone and for R&D organisations. No restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India.

(Picture credits: AP)