The “Civil Unmanned Aircraft Rules, 2024” mandate that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also referred to as drones, be registered with the federal government.
According to the new rules available on the Ministry of Aviation’s website, every drone must be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
After the new regulations take effect, people who currently own UAVs will need to apply for registration of their devices within four months. On the other hand, those who purchase drones after the new laws take effect will have 15 days to register their property.
Registered unmanned aircraft will be assigned a unique number made up of letters and numbers, and registration applications must specify the intended usage.
Additionally, in a given calendar year, an individual is only permitted to register three unmanned aircraft of a certain type.
Furthermore, drones have been divided into four categories according to their maximum take-off weight:
category I (maximum take-off weight less than or equal to 250 grams),
category II (more than 250 grams but less than or equal to 10 kilograms),
category III (more than 10 kg but less than or equal to 25 kg),
category IV (more than 25 kg but less than or equal to 100 kg).
After the new regulations take effect, anybody who wishes to operate drones that fall under categories II, III, or IV will need to get a “Remote Pilot Licence” from the CAA.
The applicant must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible for the aforementioned license: he or she must be at least eighteen years old, possess a secondary school diploma or an equivalent qualification, have completed training from an approved organization relevant to the type of license being applied for, and have completed an examination set by the authority to assess their knowledge and proficiency in operating an unmanned aircraft.
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Unmanned aerial vehicle import and export will require prior registration. Additionally, authorization from the Ministry of Defence is required for anyone planning to import category III and IV drones.
In addition, those who break the new regulations could be subject to legal action, which could include fines of up to Rs100,000 as well as extra financial penalties of up to Rs10,000 for each day that the violation persists.
A coordination committee has been assigned the task of supervising the efficient execution of the recently implemented regulations in the interim. The prime minister must approve any changes to the regulations. Additionally, the body will counsel the Center on how to promote the use of unmanned aircraft across the country.
