No-permission, no-takeoff policy: First drone after 2018 norms takes off

DGCA allowed 13 companies to conduct delivery trials last month

Pune-based Quidich Innovation Labs, along with Asteria Aerospace, completed the first ‘no-permission, no-takeoff’ or NPNT-compliant drone flight in Tumakuru, marking the first such operation since the drone regulations policy came into effect in December 2018.

“Curbs on the flying of drones without permission is the essential reason behind the compliance mechanism being put in place,” said Neel Mehta, co-founder and director of Bengaluru-headquartered Asteria Aerospace.

“Use cases for drones are immense — industrial inspections, geospatial surveys, agricultural surveys, general surveillance and security (in the green zones) — but discharge of material, or package delivery via drones are not permitted yet.”

“This milestone sets