Drones banned till DGCA sets the rules

With several commercial establishments planning to use drones to deliver their products, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has started formulating rules and regulations for their operation. However, the aviation regulator has declared that till the policies are announced, the use of drones is prohibited.

Drones had hit headlines in the city when a pizza outlet had used the device for one of its home deliveries.

In a circular issued on Monday, the DGCA stated that several parties across India were interested in using the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drones for both commercial and recreational purposes. However, at present, there are no laws to regulate their movement as even the global apex aviation regular, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is yet to publish Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs) for their certification and operation.

"The UAS (unmanned aerial system) has potential for a large number of civil applications. However, its use, besides being a safety issue, also poses a security threat. The airspace over cities in India has high density of manned aircraft traffic. Due to lack of regulation, operating procedures/ standards and uncertainty of the technology, UAS poses threat for air collisions and accidents," says the circular.

Several large and small commercial establishments in India including retail giant Amazon recently announced their plans to use drones to deliver their products to customers. Even the Mumbai police first used it a couple of years ago to as a surveillance tool during large rallies and festivals, only to completely ban it in September, till DGCA issues clear guidance on its operations.

Aviation sources revealed that guidance on the civil operation of UAS is being taken from the Air Navigation Service provider, the ministry of defence, the ministry of home affairs, and other concerned security agencies, besides the DGCA.

"The DGCA is in the process of formulating the regulations (and globally harmonize those) for certification and operation for use of UAS in the Indian civil airspace. Till such regulations are issued, no non-government agency, organization, or an individual will launch a UAS in Indian civil airspace for any purpose whatsoever," the circular said.