New Chapter - Indian ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) notified the liberalized Drone Rules - 2021 , Key takeaways !

On the basis on Indian Aircraft Acts - 1934 , Government of India notified liberalised Drone Rules 2021 through  229221.pdf (egazette.nic.in) dated 25th August, 2021, that Superseded the earlier 'Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2021' , to regulated Drones below 500 Kilograms and at the same time encourage development of Drone industry in India.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia took it to the twitter and said,

Moving New #DroneRules2021 ahead with a formal notification.These aim at simplifying procedures &reducing compliance burden for drone operation. We are all set to usher in a new era of drone usage in India, thanks to the visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi ji @PMOIndia & the efforts of Team @MoCA ,Congratulations to all !

Background of Drone Rules in India !

► Any Aircraft Flying in Indian  Air space has been Governed by the 1937 - Aircraft rules based on an Act of 1934 ( Aircraft Act ) , there were no separate rules for Drones , though some experimental aircraft regulations were existing, which were not applicable to Drones.

► On 12th of March 2021, Indian Government had published the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules (UAS Rules) - 2021, on which it received several feedback from academia , industry players and other stakeholders in india .

► Those inputs prompted New Delhi to make certain rules in supersession of the UAS Rules, 2021, while exercising the powers under by sections 5, sub-section (2) of section 10 and sections 10A, 10B and 12A of the Aircraft Act, 1934 (22 of 1934).

► The Laid down draft rules were published on 15th July 2021 as 'Draft Drone Rules 2021', as required by section 14 of the said Act, for information of all persons likely to be affected thereby; and notice is hereby given that the said draft rules will be taken into consideration after 5 th Aug 2021.

► Today , 26th August 21, the Draft rules has been Finalized as 'Drone Rules 2021' .

What are the Key Takeaways from the new Drone Rules 2021 ?

Reduction in compliance burden:

►  Process simplification - Number of forms reduced from 25 to 5.

► New Digital sky platform will be introduced - Single nodal point for all permission.

► Import of drones shall be regulated by DGFT while no permission shall be required for the import of drone components.

 Accessible Airspace Maps for Drones:

► Interactive airspace maps with different zones, accessible using APIs, to be launched on DigitalSky platform.

► Yellow zone has been reduced from 45 km to 12 km from airport perimeter.

► No permission required for operating drones in green zones.

Easy Registration of Drones :

► Online registration of all drones required through DigitalSky platform.

► Easy process prescribed for sale, lease, gift, transfer & deregistration of drones.

► A limited window opportunity provided for regularisation of existing drones.

Drone Training & Drone Certification:

► No drone pilot licence required for operating nano drones and micro drones for non-commercial use.

► Drone training and exams to be carried out by a DGCA authorised drone training school, Licensing by DGCA-I.

Boost for Promotion of R&D & Indigenous Manufacturing:

► No type certification, drone registration, remote pilot licence or prior permission for flying drones required during R&D.

► Unmanned Aircraft Systems Promotion Council to facilitate development of drone ecosystem.

► Government of India shall issue certification standards which shall promote use of made-in-India technologies, designs, components and #drones and India’s NavIC regional positioning system.

Drone Deliveries & Drone Taxis:

► Drones up to 500 kg shall be covered under Drone Rules 2021 which shall pave the way for heavy payload-carrying drones and drone taxis / eVTOLS making India future-ready.

► Special drone Corridors shall be developed for cargo activities through the drones.

Fee Structure :

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