A few days after the Indian government prohibited the import of drones into the country, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has now made it easier for people to legally fly small drones for non-commercial purposes, by proposing an amendment to the Drone Rules, 2021 on February 11. Under the new amendments, those who are flying drones that weigh beyond 2kg for commercial purposes will no longer need a remote pilot license to fly. In place of a license, drone users will now require a remote pilot certificate which can be obtained from one of the 12 DGCA-recognised drone schools using the Digital Sky platform. In the earlier version of the rules, the license could only be issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Additionally, a remote pilot certificate will no longer be required for flying small to medium size drones of up to 2kg for non-commercial purposes, according to the amendment. This is the latest attempt by the Indian government to promote the drone industry in India. Govt moves to switch from DAN to UIN for drones As per the Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022, the deadline for voluntary registration of unmanned aircraft has been extended to March 31, 2022. The registration has to be done through the Digital Sky platform. Previously, drones that were registered prior to November 2021 were issued a Unique Drone Number (DAN), while drones registered post that date were issued a unique identification number (UIN) number. According to Prem Kumar Vislawath, co-founder of Marut Drones,…
