Drone Drama: A Billion Dollar Industry Grounded By Legislation

Everything you need to know about the banned billion dollar industry of drones in India.

Drone shots beamed live from the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore during the final match of the Indian Premier League 2016. Drones usually make news for being a ‘potential terror threat’ or for the blanket ban on them, but here they were the ‘eyes-in-the-sky’.

Here is India’s drone story.

An once-upon-a-time science fiction stuff, drones are now mainstream. While drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used by the military for almost a decade, not too long ago, commercial drones were only a rich kid’s playthings.

Till 2014, nobody knew and nobody cared about drones. Then, as they gained popularity around the globe, citing a threat to aviation and security, they were banned.

The ‘Banned’ Billion Dollar Industry

So while drones have been banned all over the world, a recent report by BI Intelligence states that commercial drones will be a six billion dollar industry worldwide by 2020. So how does this ‘banned’ industry work?

While the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the US has promised ‘robust’ regulation by 2018, under section 333 of FAA’s drone rules, there have been approximately 45,000 exemptions to fly drones for various commercial purposes. The rule of exception is what applies to India, Australia and several European countries. But the Indian story is not so rosy.

India’s Drone-Acharyas Are Only Half Smiling

Acknowledging the need for regulation, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has circulated a draft regulation for comments. While India’s drone-acharyas are happy that the government is finally talking about drones, the biggest bone of contention is the DGCA’s 200 feet cap, which rules out mapping and surveillance.

All civil Unmanned Aerial (UA) operations at or above 200 feet in uncontrolled airspace for any purpose whatsoever will require Unmanned Aircraft Operators Permit (UAOP) from DGCA.  

To fly drones above 200 feet, you need to set aside four to six months to lobby for a plethora of permissions : first, apply to the DGCA for the UAOP, at least 90 days prior and then seek additional permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Airport Authority of India and then the local police and every household or people you fly over. This sarkari process defeats the purpose of drones, says Rahat Kulshreshtha, the CEO & founder of Quidich India, a drone start-up.

The whole point of drones is to expedite procedures and make things happen faster. But if you need 6 months to just lobby for government permissions for every time you fly above 200 feet, nobody is going to want to use drone technology for anything. 

Rahat Kulshreshtha, Founder & CEO, Quidich India 

So while flying the drone over thousands of people during the IPL final was a landmark achievement for the industry, drones have many more mountains to climb.

More Than Fun and Films, Drones Can Save Lives

So if you thought that all this fuss was over one IPL match or a couple of copter-like shots in films, there is a lot more to drones.

But Do Drones Really Have Their Wings Tied?

So while drones are banned, their sale is not. Drones are available everywhere from toy stores to airports to Amazon. Industry experts estimate that there are over 8000 drones flying in India currently. Thus, controlling a market where there is free sale is extremely difficult and all the more necessary.

While stating the official position on the issue of drones, a senior source within the DGCA said:

Comments received from the public on the draft regulation on drones are being reviewed right now. We will be able to finalise the guidelines by June 2016. Can only further discuss UAVs after compilation of comments.

(Infographics by Rahul Gupta)