Draft Drone Rules, 2021 Released for
Public Consultation by Ministry of Civil Aviation
·
Last date for receipt of public comments is 5 August 2021
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)
has released the updated – The Drone Rules, 2021 for public consultation. Built
on a premise of trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring, The
Drone Rules, 2021 will replace the UAS Rules 2021 (released on 12 March 2021). The last date for receipt of public
comments is 5 August 2021.
Key takeaways from the Draft Drone Rules, 2021 include:
1.
Approvals abolished: unique
authorisation number, unique prototype identification number, certificate of
conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of
existing drones, operator permit, authorisation of
R&D organisation, student remote pilot licence, remote pilot instructor authorisation, drone port
authorisation etc.
2.
Number of forms reduced
from 25 to 6.
3.
Fee reduced to nominal
levels. No linkage with the size of the drone.
4.
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.
5.
Digital sky platform shall
be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system.
6.
There will be minimal human
interface on the digital sky platform and most permissions will be
self-generated.
7.
Interactive airspace map
with green, yellow, and red zones will be displayed on the digital sky
platform.
8.
Yellow zone reduced from 45
km to 12 km from the airport perimeter.
9.
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.
10.
No pilot licence required for micro drones (for non-commercial use),
nano drone and for R&D organisations.
11.
No restriction on drone
operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India.
12.
Import of drones and drone
components to be regulated by DGFT.
13.
No security clearance
required before any registration or licence issuance.
14.
No requirement of
certificate of airworthiness, unique identification number, prior permission
and remote pilot licence for R&D entities.
15.
Coverage of drones under
Drone Rules, 2021 increased from 300 kg to 500 kg. This will cover drone taxis
also.
16.
All drone training and
testing to be carried out by an authorised drone
school. DGCA shall prescribe training requirements, oversee drone schools and
provide pilot licences online.
17.
Issuance of Certificate of
Airworthiness delegated to Quality Council of India and certification entities authorised by it.
18.
Manufacturer may generate
their drone’s unique identification number on the digital sky platform through
the self-certification route.
19.
Easier process prescribed
for transfer and deregistration of drones.
20.
Standard operating
procedures (SOP) and training procedure manuals (TPM) will be
prescribed by DGCA on the digital sky platform for self-monitoring by
users. No approvals required unless there is a significant departure from the
prescribed procedures.
21.
Maximum penalty under Drone
Rules, 2021 reduced to INR 1 lakh. This shall, however, not apply to penalties
in respect of violation of other laws.
22.
Drone corridors will be
developed for cargo deliveries.
23.
Drone promotion council to
be set up to facilitate a business-friendly regulatory regime.