Aarav Unmanned Systems drones get the licence to fly

BENGALURU: India’s civil aviation authority has certified a drone built by Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS) for being compliant with the country’s ‘no permission, no take-off ’ (NP-NT) protocol, a necessity for any commercial drone flights in the country.

Bengaluru-based AUS is the first company that has been granted certification for a drone in the ‘small’ category. The three previous certifications granted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have been for ‘micro’ drones, which are much smaller.

The DGCA defines drones based on their weight, with a small drone weighing 2-25 kg. For micro drones, the weight should be under 2 kg, including of the payload. “We’re already in talks with several clients who were waiting for us to get the DGCA certification in order to use our services legally,” said AUS CEO Vipul Singh. “They will now be able to use a made in India and for India drone that can help them realise their business potential.”