Govt may allow private air traffic controllers to manage drones in lower airspace

Bengaluru: The government is considering allowing air traffic controllers, operated by private entities, to manage drone operations in the Indian airspace below 1,000 feet, said a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official on Wednesday.

“The drone ATC (air traffic controller) will be called UTM (unmanned traffic management) and it will collaborate with the manned traffic management, which is being handled currently as a sovereign function by the Airports Authority of India (AAI),” said Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.