India To Collaborate With EU on New Drone, AAM Regulations

An agreement between Indian and European aviation authorities will see the two collaborate on new standards for advanced aviation.

Jack Daleo

Friday, April 21, 2023 at 04:16 PM ET

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An agreement between Indian and European aviation authorities will see the two collaborate on new standards for advanced aviation. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) employ differing philosophies in drone regulation, with EASA generally adopting a more stringent, "heavy-handed" approach compared to the FAA's "hands-off" methods.
India has chosen to align its future drone regulatory framework with EASA, formalizing this by signing letters of intent for collaboration on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and unmanned traffic management (UTM).
This partnership is expected to guide India's drone regulations towards a system mirroring the EU's, potentially incorporating EASA's drone categorization (open, specific, certified) and U-Space concepts for managing complex operations, including beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.
The alignment suggests India's drone industry will likely develop under a more stringent, safety-focused regulatory environment, potentially contrasting with the FAA's current approach of facilitating commercial drone operations through waivers.

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When it comes to regulating drones, the Federal Aviation Administration and the EU’s European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) don’t always agree.

In some areas, like rules surrounding unmanned traffic management (UTM), the two regulatory bodies are quite similar. But they diverge on issues like safety, for example, where the FAA’s hands-off approach clashes with EASA’s more heavy-handed policies.