One-stop online portal for permits to fly drones opens
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Those seeking to fly unmanned aircraft in Singapore can now apply for all necessary permits on an one-stop online portal on the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) website.
A list of Protected Areas — for which additional permits are required to fly over — has also been gazetted. The 41 areas include the Istana, Parliament House, Supreme Court, Jurong Island, various government buildings and military camps and bases.
Last month, Parliament passed new laws regulating the use of unmanned aircraft — popularly referred to as drones — which have grown in popularity for both recreational and commercial use.
Under the new laws, an Operator Permit and an Activity Permit are required for flying any drone weighing more than 7kg in total, including fuel, payload, and equipment. Both are also required for flying any drone for business purposes.
Permits are not required for recreational or research use if a drone’s total weight is under 7kg. But an Activity Permit would be needed if the aircraft is flown in a Restricted or Danger Area or within 5km of an aerodrome or military airbase regardless of operating height, or above 200 feet beyond 5km of an aerodrome or military airbase.
Operator permits are valid for up to one year, while Activity Permits are valid for a single activity or single block of repeated activities.
Additional permits are required if items are dropped from the drone, or if the aircraft is flown over Protected Areas or in zones declared as Special Event Areas by the Ministry of Home Affairs, or if photographs of a Protected Area are taken using the unmanned aircraft.
Additional permits are also required if the radio frequencies and power limits used for operating the unmanned aircraft do not comply with guidelines on radio frequencies and power limits for short range devices.
The expected processing time for an application is two weeks.
