Recreational drones require no permission to fly as Bangladesh lays down rules

Recreational drones weighing less than five kilograms will require no permission to fly. Those drones cannot be flown above 500 feet from the ground.

A draft of ‘Drone Registration and Aviation Policy 2020’ approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday lays down the conditions for flying drones.

“We’ve been discussing for some time whether everyone could operate drones as they wished, or should there be regulations in place?” Khandker Anwarul Islam, the cabinet secretary, said after the meeting.

The use of drones has been divided into four categories in the draft policy, according to the cabinet secretary.

‘Class A’ drones are for recreational use and must weigh below five kilograms. ‘Class B’ drones are for non-commercial use, such as surveying large areas for personal studies and researches. ‘Class C’ drones are allowed for commercial use and may weigh above five kilograms. Drones used in state or military work are grouped as ‘Class D’ and require no permission.

In order to establish a pineapple jelly factory, a person, for example, may conduct a survey in the hill tracts to estimate production as part of a business plan. “This is a commercial goal,” Islam said.

The government has used drones for the construction of the Padma Bridge. “We have been using drones for the last four years and conducted surveys with drones to meet our needs,” Islam said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh or CAAB will specify the cases in which permission would be required to fly drones.

“The locations are divided into green, yellow and red zones,” Islam said responding to questions on the flying restrictions.

“Red zones, such as airports and cantonments, are completely restricted areas. No one will be allowed to fly drones on the Padma Bridge. Flying drones inside KPIs [key point installations] is prohibited,” he said.

“Permission from the civil aviation authorities will not suffice for flying drones over the KPI areas. The authorisation of KPI authorities will also be necessary.”