Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued new rules for the operators of very small commercial drones or remotely piloted aircraft, relaxing regulatory fees and related regulations.
Effective as of 29 September, the new rules would be applicable for drones with a maximum take-off weight of less than 2kg.
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According to the new rules, affected operators would not require a certificate and licence from CASA to fly their drones.
With the new rules in place, the drone operators do not have to pay A$1,400 ($1,073) in regulatory fees and can avoid the need to create manuals and other documentation.
Operators will also have to follow stringent operating conditions in order to ensure public safety.
The rules require filling an online notification process, enabling CASA to have details of all commercial drone operators, who fly drones less than 2kg.
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By GlobalDataThe rules also mandate the operators to fly their drones during the day and in line-of-sight only.
Operators are not allowed to fly their drones within 30m of people, above 120m altitude and within 5.5km of a controlled airport.
Populous areas such as beaches, parks and sporting ovals, as well as firefighting, accidents or search-and-rescue areas are also selected as no-flying zones for under-2kg drone operators.
CASA said that people wishing to operate an under-2kg commercial drone without following the standard operating conditions must apply to the agency for a remotely piloted aircraft operator’s certificate and a remote pilot licence.
The new rules have also allowed operators to fly drones weighing up to 25kg without CASA approvals.
