SCAA to implement regulations regarding unmanned aircraft |11 April 2017

Unmanned aircraft system (UAS), sometimes called a drone, will soon have to respect regulations to be introduced by the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA).

All drone operators in Seychelles convened at the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) conference room last weekend to discuss new regulations that drone operators will soon have to respect.
The meeting, organised by SCAA, was to make drone operators aware of the new rules and regulations that are to be put in place for flying drones in Seychelles, and be aware of their rights and the right of those around them.

The operators will have to register their UAS with their name and address, model of drones, colour among others.

The chief executive of the SCAA, Gilbert Faure, stated that the regulation is important to monitor all the UAS operators, and to protect all aircraft.

“We are not banning drones from flying, we are simply implementing new regulations to have a safer flying zone for our aircraft,” said Mr Faure.

The new regulations are still in discussion and the aim of the conference was to get input from the drones operators so as to improve on the regulations.

According to the regulations drone operators should not fly their UAS near people or stadiums, they should not be careless or reckless with their unmanned aircraft, they should remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations, they should not fly their UAS at night unless special permission has been granted, and the device should not be flown in areas around aerodromes, among others.

If such rules are not respected the drone owners will be fined R25,000 or face two years imprisonment.

At present there are no regulations in place for operating drones in Seychelles and that is why SCAA is drafting the new rules and regulation with the help of the drone owners.

Darius Revera, a drone operator, stated that SCAA should do more research on drones before implementing the rules and regulation.

“The discussions were interesting but SCAA should do more research and come down with more concrete regulations because those it is planning to implement will limit us people who use drones as a business,” he said.