Just days after banning the import of drones into the country, the Centre has scrapped the requirement for remote pilot licenses for flying drones. Those who want to fly drones will now need to possess a “remote pilot certificate”.

The government released the Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 on Friday which changes the language in the earlier released Drone Rules, 2021. Instead of the remote pilot license, the amendment changes the license to certificate.

The license in the earlier version of the rules could only be issued by the Director General of Civil Aviation. Under the new rules, however, a remote pilot certificate can be issued by an authorised remote pilot training organisation.

The changes mean that instead of applying directly to the DGCA, prospective drone pilots can receive their pilot certificate through any DGCA-approved drone school using the DigitalSky Platform. The certificate, like the license, will be valid for a period of 10 years, provided that the license holder goes through any refresher courses when asked.

The amendments do not bring any change to the exception of not needing any drone piloting certificate for flying drones of less than 2 kg for a non-commercial purpose.

The new rules are expected to broaden the number of individuals applying for drone flying licenses while also making the process faster and smoother. For many like wedding photographers, bloggers and more – who are often using drones with HD cameras that weigh about 5 kg – the new rules would make it significantly easier to acquire the necessary drone pilot certificate from recognised drone schools. Currently, 12 of these schools have been listed on the DigitalSky portal.

The Centre has been betting big on the drone industry in India, with a focus on growing into one of the world’s leading research and development hubs for drones.

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(Edited by : Thomas Abraham)