DCGA working on interim operational guidelines for civil use

Aviation sector regulator DGCA is working on formulating interim operational guidelines for the civil use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Lok Sabha was informed today.
Government has also prohibited the launch of UAV in Indian airspace by any non-government agency, organisation or individual as long these guidelines are in place, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sahrma said in written reply.
Sharma said that as of now the Aircraft Rules do mot cover use of drones or its sale or purchase.
DGCA had in October last year restricted civil use of drones/unmanned aircraft system, he said.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is yet to publish Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs) as far as certification and operation of civil use of UAS is concerned.

The aviation regulator, while issuing a public notice, had said that its use, besides being a safety issue, also poses security threat.
The airspace over cities in India has high density of manned aircraft traffic, due to lack of regulation, operating procedures/standards and uncertainty of the technology, UAV poses a threat of air collisions and accidents, it had said.
The civil operation of UAV will require approval from the Air Navigation Service provider, Defence and Home Ministries and other concerned security agencies, besides DGCA, the regulator had said while announcing the ban on launch of UAV.