Govt set to allow drone deliveries, taxis next year

NEW DELHI: The ministry of civil aviation is set to allow the commercial use of drones as taxis and delivery vehicles, and permit their operation beyond the visual line of sight under its Drone 2.0 policy, which is likely to take effect by March 2019 and open up a raft of business opportunities.

In August, the ministry released its Drone 1.0 policy, which makes it legal for individuals and companies to operate drones from December 1 in certain areas other than those barred for security reasons. The ministry, however, held back approval of the commercial use of drones — as taxis, delivery vehicles, and other services .

Drone 2.0, the draft of which will be released at a global aviation summit on January 15, 2019, and be open for public feedback for 30 days, will make such commercial use legal. At the time it released Drone 1.0, the aviation ministry had said it was open to changing its regulations as technology advances.

“We are working to get the entire drone industry launched on December 1. We are very much on track to do that,” minister of civil aviation, Jayant Sinha, said in an interview. “And drones will provide a whole host of applications, many of which are already being utilised across the world; so they will become available in India and that’s through the set of regulations that we are calling Drone 1.0. We also have a drone task force that’s working on Drone 2.0 regulations, which we think will truly be revolutionary once India implements it. And we are hoping to implement it over the next few months.”

Drone 2.0 is a “forward-thinking step by the government, and will change the whole delivery model,” said Rabindra Jhunjhunwala, partner at law firm Khaitan & Co, “At the same time appropriate safety nets will have to be built. The devil will lie in the details.”

From December 1, operators will be able to apply for permissions and get instant approvals through a Digital Sky Platform for the use of drones for photography and recreational purposes. Possible applications include aerial photography of property and other projects, monitoring equipment at wind and solar energy plants and delivery of disaster relief. “Drone 2.0 regulations will crack the code and enable us to cross three important thresholds all at once” Sinha added.

THE POLICY IS LIKELY TO TAKE EFFECT BY MARCH 2019 AND OPEN UP A RAFT OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES