Drone Law Brief | Vol 1: September & October 2025

Knowledge Team
Oct 27
5 min read

INDIA

Draft Civil Drone (Promotion and Regulation) Bill, 2025: Extended consultation period ends

The Government of India, through the Ministry of Civil Aviation, released the Draft Civil Drone (Promotion and Regulation) Bill, 2025 (“Bill”) for public consultation on 16th September and provided a period of 2 weeks till 30th September for stakeholders to send their comments. This was later extended till 15th October 2025. The Bill proposes to replace the Drone Rules, 2021 (made under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024) with a standalone legislation, marking a shift from delegated rules to a primary legislative framework.

The Bill, issued without any explanatory note, covers the entire drone lifecycle - design, manufacture, trade, ownership, and operation - while exempting military and central armed police use. State police operations will remain regulated.
Existing permissions under the Drone Rules will continue until replaced by new regulations, allowing a phased transition.
The Bill introduces a comprehensive certification and registration regime focused on safety and traceability. Type certification now extends to assembly, sale, and import as well, and unregistered drones cannot be sold or purchased.
Extensive record-keeping requirements have been introduced for manufacturers, operators and owners, requiring production of data on demand.
Remote pilot ‘certificates’ replace existing licences.
Extensive liability and insurance provisions are provided for. A no-fault compensation mechanism fixes liability at Rs. 2.5 lakh for death and Rs. 1 lakh for grievous hurt, with claims adjudicated by Motor Accident Claims Tribunals. This replaces the earlier indirect reference to the Motor Vehicles Act and establishes a dedicated process for drone-related incidents.
Airspace regulations have been tightened. Operating in restricted zones is now a cognizable, non-compoundable offence, punishable with imprisonment up to three years or fine up to Rs. 1 lakh. Both central and state governments can declare temporary red zones, and the Airports Authority of India is now designated to develop unmanned traffic management systems. Carriage of arms or hazardous materials is prohibited, and weaponisation of drones is explicitly criminalised.
Enforcement adopts a dual structure: serious security and airspace violations are non-compoundable, while routine lapses in registration or certification can be compounded within 180 days. A savings clause validates existing permissions under prior rules where consistent. Overall, the Bill represents continuity with stronger statutory backing and sharper enforcement—positioning India’s drone governance for a more mature regulatory phase.

Read our comparative piece on how the Bill fares against the Drone Rules, 2021: The Civil Drone (Promotion & Regulation) Bill, 2025 — Policy Reset or Continuity with Teeth?

DGCA Director General signals BVLOS rules in an advanced stage

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s Director General, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, said in a recent visit to a drone facility that the DGCA is “in advance stage of finalising beyond visual line of sight ("BVLOS") rules to allow extensive use of drones for asset inspection and deliveries”. These follow similar previous remarks during industry events and push from industry bodies seeking easier BVLOS rules.

In the absence of a regulatory framework, operators continue to work under the Drone Rules, 2021 and existing DGCA permissions/exemptions for trials. Once India’s BVLOS rules are issued, they are expected to align with broader safety and traffic-management systems, including Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM), remote identification and tracking, command-and-control link integrity, pilot safety-case requirements, and airspace zoning through geo-fencing.

Government announces uniform rate of 5% GST on all drones

The Government of India has announced a uniform 5% GST rate on all drones, effective September 2025, replacing the earlier rates of 18% for drones with integrated cameras and 28% for those used for personal purposes. The move is expected to lower end-user costs, remove classification uncertainty and boost adoption across sectors such as agriculture, mining, infrastructure, logistics, and defence. The notification also exempts flight and motion simulators from GST, a measure aimed at supporting India’s growing drone training ecosystem. [See also,PIB’s factsheet]

DGCA Classifies Jagannath Temple, Puri as a Red Zone

The DGCA has notified the Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri as a Red Zone. As reflected on DigitalSky, the classification was added on September 26, 2025 and will remain in force till September 25, 2028. As per Rule 3(1) of the Drone Rules, 2021, a red zone refers to an area within which drone operations are only permitted by the Central Government. Further, Rule 22 of the Drone Rules prohibits operations of drones without prior permission in a Red or Yellow Zone.

This action comes against reports of unauthorised drone activities in the area. The temple had previously also been designated as a Red Zone during the 2023 Rath Yatra and in January 2025, following drone sightings. Interestingly, in March this year, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam ("TTD"), the trust that maintains Tirupati temple, had written to the Minister of Civil Aviation requesting that Tirumala be declared a no-fly zone to prevent aircraft from flying over the sacred pilgrimage site. In response to the request Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu had stated that there is no provision for declaring an area as a 'No-Fly' zone.

GLOBAL

United States: In a significant step towards integrating UAS into the US national airspace, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("NPRM") titled “Normalizing UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations” (Docket FAA-2025-1908) for public comments open till October 6, 2025. It notes that a large portion of the operations under the rule will be commercial. It proposes performance-based regulations to enable the design and operation of unmanned aircraft systems ("UAS") at low altitudes beyond visual line of sight and for third-party services, including UAS Traffic Management ("UTM"), that support these operations. While the FAA’s draft rules are jurisdiction-specific, the depth of regulatory thought on airworthiness, operator responsibility, cybersecurity, and managed airspace will offer a legal blueprint with global relevance.
United Kingdom: The UK Civil Aviation Authority ("CAA") released on October 20, 2025 its Future of Flight: BVLOS Roadmap, outlining operational pathways to enable routine beyond visual line of sight drone operations. The document describes a “safe, realistic, and proportionate” three-year plan that builds on ongoing UK trials in delivery and infrastructure inspection.
European Union: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency ("EASA") issued ED Decision 2025/018/R on September 29, 2025 updating its Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) for Regulation (EU) 2019/947, which is the regulation governing drone operations in the EU. EASA adopted the new Specific Operations Risk Assessment ("SORA 2.5") framework and refreshed its compliance guidance. This means any drone operator in the EU seeking permission for medium-risk operations — such as BVLOS mapping, delivery, or inspection, now has a clearer and standardized path to get authorized.
Germany: The German cabinet approved draft legislation on October 8, 2025 to authorise federal police to shoot down drones that pose immediate threats. This move follows a surge in drone incidents and aligns Germany with other European states expanding counter-UAS powers. The legislation now requires parliamentary approval.
Australia: Civil Aviation Safety Authority ("CASA") launched four new BVLOS trial pathways from October 15, 2025 to make BVLOS approvals more accessible.
United Arab Emirates: It was reported that the Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) became the first certified U-Space Service Provider ("USSP") in the UAE. The General Civil Aviation Authority ("GCAA") granted the certificate following the introduction of the UAE's first national regulation for approving unmanned aircraft system ("UAS") service providers in March, 2025. The certification authorises dans to operate a centralised platform for managing drone traffic across UAE airspace.
South Africa: South Africa’s Department of Transport released the Airfreight Strategy for South Africa, 2025 which proposes mandatory registration of all drones, risk-based regulation and categorisation, and the creation of dedicated drone corridors.

Disclaimer: This publication is intended solely for informational and educational purposes. It summarizes recent legal and policy developments from publicly available sources and does not constitute legal advice, opinion, or endorsement by Sigma Chambers.

All Sources are hyperlinked.

Authors: Abhinav Goyal, Kushank Sindhu, Unnati Sinha