Implementation of Drone Special Approval System Enables Night Operations and Long-Distance Transport
Published2017.11.10 11:33Drone utilization becomes possible in areas that have not been previously used, such as nighttime broadcast coverage, aerial performances, and parcel delivery to remote island areas.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will implement systems to foster drone industry development, including regulatory improvements and establishment of support measures, starting November 10.
The newly introduced 'Drone Special Approval System' is a system that, upon compliance with safety standards, reviews and permits on a case-by-case basis nighttime operations and flights beyond visual line of sight that had been previously prohibited.
To obtain approval, applicants must submit related documents to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, including △drone performance and specifications △operation methods △flight plan △emergency procedures manual, and others.
Based on the submitted documents, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute conducts technical verification and safety standard inspections, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport grants final approval by comprehensively considering safety standard results, operational difficulty*, surrounding environment, and other factors.
It is expected to be effectively utilized in public sectors such as search and rescue and firefighting. When national agencies and local governments establish their own regulations and use drones for emergency flights* for public interest purposes, they will receive regulatory exemptions on operator compliance requirements under aviation safety laws, such as restrictions on nighttime and beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight (own regulations required).
Additionally, legal and institutional bases to provide more continuous government support for the drone industry are established, and regulations* for constructing permanent practical skill test centers to smoothly operate licensing systems in response to rapidly increasing demand for pilot certifications and for substantialization of specialized educational institutions will also be implemented.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "The drone industry is a field where new technologies are rapidly developed, and the introduction of this special approval system is expected to become a preemptive regulatory relaxation case that actively embraces industry creativity and innovation." and added, "As the primary government agency overseeing the drone industry, we will ensure safety while actively pursuing policies and systems that can meet industry demands."
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