In news : Recently, BCCI has been given the conditional nod till Dec 31 or until the full operationalisation of Digital Sky Platform.
Background
In August 2018, India had announced the release of its Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) to enable safe flying of RPAS in India. The CAR detailed the obligations of operators, remote pilots/ users and manufacturers/ OEM for safe operations of RPAS and co-operative use of airspace. It also announced Digital Sky Platform, a first of its kind that implements ‘no permission, no take-off’ (NPNT) – a novel system of software-based self-enforcement to minimize deviations from the CAR.
A brief note on Digital Sky Platform
- It is an online IT platform developed for handling Unique Identification Number(UIN) issued by DGCA,Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit(UAOP) applications, and permission to fly Remotely Piloted Aircraft System(s)(RPAs) in India.
- This platform is in operation since 2018
- It is the first-of-its-kind national unmanned traffic management (UTM) platform that implements “no permission, no take-off” (NPNT).
- The platform has been built to evolve with the evolving needs of this rapidly changing industry. Its users will be required to do a one-time registration of their drones, pilots and owners.
Colour coding of flying Zones
To get permissions to fly, RPAS operators or remote pilots will have to file a flight plan
- Green zones: Flying in the ‘green zones’ will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the portal or the app.
- Yellow zones: Permissions will be required for flying in ‘yellow zones’ and
- Red zones: The flights will not be allowed in the ‘red zones’.
Permission, if granted, will be available digitally on the portal
If an RPAS does not have permission to fly, it will not be allowed to take-off under the policy of NoPermission-No-Takeoff (NPNT).
Roles & responsibilities of govt. stakeholders on various aspects of operation of civil remotely piloted aircraft system
| No. | Stakeholder | Responsibility |
| 1. | Directorate General of Civil Aviation | Import clearance Issuance of UIN Issuance & renewal of UAOP Suspension / Cancellation of UIN & UAOP in case of violations of regulations. |
| 2. | Directorate General of Foreign Trade | Import license |
| 3. | Ministry of Home Affairs | Security clearance |
| 4. | Ministry of Defence | Permission for aerial survey/imageries/ videography/ still photography over the restricted/prohibited areas on case-to case basis |
| 5. | Indian Air Force | Air Defence Clearance Monitoring of RPA movements in the country |
| 6. | Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing, DoT | Equipment Type Approval (ETA) or License for RPA |
| 7. | Bureau of Civil Aviation Security | Approval of Security Programme |
| 8. | Airport Authority of India | Flight Plan Approval Monitoring of RPA movements in the country |
| 9. | Local Police Office | Enforcement of violators as per applicable IPCs |
Remotely Piloted Aircraft System(s) and its categories in India
RPAS is one subset of UAS. A remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), its associated remote pilot station(s), the required command and control links and any other components, as specified in the type design.
Civil RPA is categorized in accordance with MTOW (including payload) as indicated below:
| Nano | Less than or equal to 250 grams. |
| Micro | Greater than 250 grams and less than or equal to 2 kg. |
| Small | Greater than 2 kg and less than or equal to 25 kg. |
| Medium | Greater than 25 kg and less than or equal to 150 kg. |
| Large | Greater than 150 kg. |
