Drone Rules, 2021

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has released the updated – 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).

Key takeaways from the Draft Drone Rules, 2021 include:

• Approvals abolished: unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number, certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permits, authorisation of R&D organisation, student remote pilot licence, remote pilot instructor authorisation, drone port authorisation etc.
• The number of forms was 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.
• The digital sky platform shall be developed as a business-friendly single-window online system.
• There will be a minimal human interface on the digital sky platform and most permissions will be self-generated.
• An interactive airspace map with green, yellow, and red zones will be displayed on the digital sky platform.
• The yellow zone was reduced from 45 km to 12 km from the airport perimeter.
• No flight permission is required up to 400 feet in green zones and up to 200 feet in the area between 8 and 12 km from the airport perimeter.
• No pilot licence is 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 is required before any registration or licence issuance.
• No requirement for a 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 are 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.
• The 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 are required unless there is a significant departure from the prescribed procedures.
• The maximum penalty under Drone Rules, 2021 was reduced to INR 1 lakh. This shall, however, not apply to penalties in respect of violation of other laws.
• Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries.
• A drone promotion council is to be set up to facilitate a business-friendly regulatory regime.