Abu Dhabi bans leisure drones sales

In January, air traffic was suspended at Dubai International Airport after reports that drones were being flown dangerously close to planes. The same month, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said the Emirates would be one of the first countries to regulate unmanned aerial vehicles – including leisure drones and the authority says it is now finalising the regulations which are expected to come into effect by January 2016.

Mohammad Faisal Al Dossari, Director, Aviation Safety Affairs, Air Navigation & Aerodrome, UAE GCAA, said unmanned systems that are less than one kilogramme would also fall under the regulations. Al Dossari said the regulations would focus on ensuring safety, security, the environment and efficiency.

The UAE is at the same time pioneering drone use with plans for a fly-by courier service that uses eyeball-scanning unmanned aerial vehicles to drop off government documents. The Government also staged, in association with consulting and technology multi-national Indira, a ‘Drones For Good’ international design competition which carried a US $1 million dollar prize.
The first of its kind and scale, the award was aimed at transforming drone technologies into practical solutions for daily life and the competition drew over 800 entries from around the world.