The Director General of Civil Aviation, in a public notice issued in October last, pointed out that ‘lots of interest was being shown for civil use (both commercial and recreational) of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the country.’
The notice read as follows: “The International Civil Aviation Organization was yet to publish Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), as far as certification and operation of civil use of UAS is concerned”.
“UAS have 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 a 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.”
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“The civil operation of UAS will require approval from the Air Navigation service provider, Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and other concerned security agencies, besides the DGCA. DGCA is in the process of formulating regulations for certification and operation of UAS in the Indian civil airspace. Till such regulations are issued, no government agency, organisation, or an individual will launch a UAS in Indian civil airspace for any purpose whatsoever.”