Civil Aviation Ministry passes new Drone Rules, 2021: Read key takeaways here

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday (August 26, 2021) eased the rules regarding drone operations in the country, now, these rules will replace the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rules 2021. The Centre on July 15 had announced its decision to come up with new drone rules stakeholders and industry insiders were asked for suggestions till August 5.

The new rules are simpler and it reduces the compliance burden to operate a drone in India.

Drone Rules, 2021: Here are the key takeaways: 

1. Approvals abolished: unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number, certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, operator permit, authorisation of R&D organisation, student remote pilot licence, remote pilot instructor authorisation, drone port authorisation, import permission for drone components.
2. Coverage of drones under Drone Rules, 2021 increased from 300 kg to 500 kg to include heavy payload-carrying drones and drone taxis.
3. Number of forms/permissions reduced from 25 to 5.
4. No security clearance required before any registration or licence issuance.
5. Fees for permissions reduced to nominal levels.
6. 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.
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 permission required for operating a drone in green zones and upto 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter.
10. Online registration of all drones shall happen through the Digital Sky Platform. 
11. Easy process prescribed for transfer and deregistration of drones.  
12. An easy opportunity provided for regularisation of existing drones in the country.
13. No pilot licence required for operating nano drones and micro drones for non-commercial use. 
14. Safety features like ‘No permission – no take-off’ (NPNT), real-time tracking beacon, geo-fencing etc. to be notified in future. A minimum six-month lead time will be provided for compliance. 
15. All drone training and examination to be carried out by an authorised drone school.  DGCA shall prescribe training requirements, oversee drone schools and provide pilot licences online. 
16. Type Certification of drones delegated to Quality Council of India and certification entities authorised by it.
17. No requirement of type certificate, unique identification number, prior permission and remote pilot licence for R&D entities.
18. Import of drones to be regulated by DGFT.
19. Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.  
20. Unmanned Aircraft Systems Promotion Council to be set up to facilitate a business-friendly regulatory regime.