Delhi Airport Drone Incident: Lack of clear policy widens security loopholes

“The incident was a wake-up call, and the government needs to take active steps to resolve this. Given the way things are right now, it is certainly alarming, but it’s not as catastrophic as other threats affecting the airspace. Do we shut down an airport when there’s a bird strike? At most, the airport being shut down was precautionary in nature so as to not allow things to get catastrophic,” Martin said.

India’s tryst with policies on drones started in 2014 when a Mumbai-based pizza restaurant used a small drone to make pizza deliveries. Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed a blanket ban on use of drones by civilians, but in April 2016, it floated the draft ‘Guidelines for obtaining Unique Identification Number (UIN) & Operation of Civil Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)’. More than a year later, these rules are yet to be finalised. Flight operations suspended at Delhi airport after ‘drone-like object’ spotted on runway. Click here to read.

“One wonders why there’s such a delay. Over a dozen leading countries have drone policies in place. All we need is to modify it to Indian context and release it. It can always be refined after a reasonable period. Very often in India, in our quest for an utopian solution, which doesn’t exist, we avoid taking baby steps. It has to change,” said Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at KPMG. On the other hand, a number of countries and aviation regulators have put in place drone policies.

One such is from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has stipulated separate rules for drones being used for recreational and commercial purposes. Even as FAA rules allow flying a UAS for recreational or hobby purposes, it has laid down clear guidelines such as minimum distance from the airport, requirement to notify nearby airports and air traffic control tower when flying within 5 miles of an airport, and various others.

The FAA has even developed a mobile app to “help recreational drone flyers to know whether there are any restrictions or requirements where they want to fly”. The rules also mandate drones weighing over 0.55 pounds to be registered with the FAA, failing which the regulator may assess civil penalties up to $27,500, or criminal penalties that include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.

“DGCA’s draft policy had several restrictive clauses that were not received well by industry and drone aficionados. Hope DGCA incorporates some of the useful suggestions received and releases the policy soon. The August 20 incident at Delhi Airport where several flights were diverted due to one mischievous drone operator may force the government’s hands,” Dubey said.

While there is a fear of these unmanned flying objects being used for nefarious activities, their commercial use cases are many. One such is from global e-commerce giant Amazon, which plans to use drones for delivering its products. “Drones are multiple useful applications. They have to be encouraged and promoted. India can be world leader in drones given its strengths in software, telecommunications, frugal engineering and space applications.

Ways have to be found so that they do not interfere with normal airline operations. Every flight delayed has a ripple effect causing loss time, money and convenience to everyone,” Dubey said. “There are technologies available to detect, jam, capture or destroy drones. They need to be procured on an urgent basis and installed near airports and sensitive locations,” he added.