The Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) is amending its policy on unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, to register and license them.
The existing policy covers flying drones upon clearances from the CAAB and notifying the local police and fire service.
But the authorities’ latest move comes as it has no account of how many drones are there in the country and who owns them.
Meanwhile, the commerce ministry is also working on formulating a policy on importing drones.
According to the existing regulations, anyone seeking to fly a drone must file an application with the CAAB at least 45 days ahead.
The detailed application, which requires providing location, identity of the operator, specifications of the drone, purpose etc, is then forwarded to the defence ministry for scrutinising. Following a clearance from there, the CAAB issues the permit.
The CAAB receives over a hundred applications every month.
In January 2014, the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) said in a statement that all forms of flight activities within Bangladesh’s airspace are controlled by fixed regulations of CAAB and the Bangladesh Air Force.
It said then clearances from CAAB and air force were mandatory before test flying drones or remote controlled planes or helicopters.
According to the CAAB’s ‘Regulation for Operating Remotely Pilot Aircraft System’, no one under 18 years old is allowed to fly a drone as well as bars operating drones within 8 hours of consuming alcohol.
It says the operator will be liable for any damages caused by a drone and the local police, fire service have to be notified before flying a drone.
A drone cannot be flown higher than 200 feet and a single operator cannot fly more than one drone at a time, says the policy.
The CAAB is now amending the policy to include licence and registration of drones.
“We now have a policy on operating drones…but a regulation addressing all the aspects, including airspace safety, is being formulated,” CAAB Member (Planning and Operations) Mostafizur Rahman told Bangla Tribune.
A CAAB official said the move to license drones comes amid concerns that it can be used for terror activities. “We are focusing on the safety features,” said the official asking not to be named.
In 2015, the National Board of Revenue slapped a ban on importing drones, following which customs officials have seized over a hundred drones across the country.
Permissions seeking to import drones are pending with the commerce ministry, which is not issuing clearances due to the lack of regulations.
“There is no policy over importing drones now. So, we are not allowing it. But we have sought inputs from several ministries and government agencies to formulate one,” Additional Secretary Shamima Yasmeen told Bangla Tribune.