Global drone alliance on the anvil, says civil aviation ministry

India plans to form a global drone alliance, similar to the International Solar Alliance, to harmonise norms for the use of drones across the world and promote the growth of this nascent sector.

“We are looking to form a drone alliance on the lines of Solar Alliance wherein other countries will accept the regulations made collectively,” said Shefali Juneja, joint secretary at the civil aviation ministry. She was speaking at the Global Venture Capital Summit here.

India, she said, is reaching out to Israel and the European Union for their support to form the alliance.


The ministry plans to use the upcoming Global Aviation Summit to brainstorm further on the idea. The summit is scheduled for January 15-16 next year in Mumbai.

Flying drones or remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA) have become legal in India starting December 1 with the National Drones Policy coming into effect. The policy defines and classifies drones, puts in place a permitting process for operators, and outlines flight restrictions.
They mandate RPAs to have a Unique Identification Number and Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit.

“Drones are here to stay. They will be feeding the start ups. By December, mapping of the country will be done. Nano and micro drones will be up in the sky at 400 feet,” Juneja said.

The DGCA has categorised drones as Nano, Micro, Small, Medium, and Large.

Last week, the civil aviation ministry kick-started the online registration of drones in India through its Digital Sky portal. This is will be based on “no permit, no take off” concept wherein drones will have to log in on an app-based platform to get permission from the regulator. They would be mandated to report to DGCA and report any incident after the flight.

The government has also mandated manufacturing standards for drones.