Drone corridor, promotion council part of Aviation Ministry's draft rules for ease of using drones

The number of forms to be filled to operate drones in the country have been reduced to six in draft ‘Drone Rules, 2021’

'Drone corridors' for goods delivery and a council to promote development of technology and business are on the anvil with the government on Thursday publicising new draft rules to replace the one put in place just four months ago.

The proposed rules also have eased the formalities in use of drones for research and development by abolishing certain approvals required for research and educational institutions, start-ups recognised by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and drone manufacturers.

The maximum penalty under the draft Drone Rules is reduced to Rs one lakh but will not apply to penalties in respect of violation of other laws while there will be no need for security clearance before registration or licence issual.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has put the draft Drone Rules, 2021 "built on the premise of trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring" in public domain for consultation till August 5 and once finalised will replace the existing Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2021.

Read | Draft drone rules: Here are the key changes proposed

Emphasising that the proposed rules "mark a stark shift" from the existing rules, he said, "drones are bringing the next big tech revolution around the globe with reduced costs, resources and time taken for operations. It is upon us to ride on the new wave and facilitate its uptake, especially among our startups."

All activities related to the management of drones will be through the 'Digital Sky Platform' developed and hosted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as a business-friendly single-window online system. There will be minimum human interface on the platform and most permissions will be self-generated.

The draft rules have abolished the requirement of several approvals like the need for unique authorisation number, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, operator permit, student remote pilot licence and drone port authorisation.

[15:55, 7/15/2021] [phone]: Bringing more ease in authorisation of use of drones, the number of forms to be filled has been reduced from 25 to six while fee has been reduced to nominal levels and there is no linkage with the size of drone.

While there will be no restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India, the draft rules also said a framework for developing drone corridors for safe transfer of goods by drones will be outlined in a policy framework in respect of Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management System.

It also envisages a Drone Promotion Council for promoting the adoption and use of drones, development of a business-friendly regulatory regime, including automated permissions and setting up incubators and other facilities for the development of drone technologies.

The Council will also be tasked with involving industry experts and academic institutions in policy advice and organising competitive events involving drones and counter-drone technologies.

No pilot licence will be required for micro drones (for non-commercial use), nano drones and for research and development organisations.

Key Takeaways from the Draft Drone Rules, 2021

* 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.

* Number of forms reduced from 25 to 6.

* 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.

* 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.

* Interactive airspace map with green, yellow, and red zones will be displayed on the digital sky platform.

* 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 drones and for R&D organisations.

* No restriction on drone operations by foreign-owned companies registered in India.

* Import of drones and drone components to be regulated by DGFT.

* No security clearance required before any registration or licence issuance.

* No requirement of certificate of airworthiness, unique identification number, prior permission and remote pilot licence for R&D entities.

* Coverage of drones under Drone Rules, 2021 increased from 300 kg to 500 kg. This will cover drone taxis also.

* 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.

* Issuance of Certificate of Airworthiness delegated to Quality Council of India and certification entities authorised by it.

* Manufacturers may generate their drone’s unique identification number on the digital sky platform through the self-certification route.

* Easier process prescribed for transfer and deregistration of drones.

* 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.

* Maximum penalty under Drone Rules, 2021 reduced to Rs 1 lakh. This shall, however, not apply to penalties in respect of violation of other laws.

* Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.

* Drone promotion council to be set up to facilitate a business-friendly regulatory regime.