Any individual or government and private organization has to obtain written permission at least 45 days before flying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, or commonly known as drones), Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) and remote controlled toy plane.
Prior permission must be obtained in line with the specifications spelt out in the form available on the website of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), said a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR) Directorate on Tuesday.
The CAAB is the sole regulatory authority for any type of civil aviation, the press release mentioned.
“Recently, some enthusiastic individuals and private organizations (schools, colleges, universities, NGOs, research institutes) have been flying drones, RPAS, remote controlled toy planes, kites, etc., in the airspace of Bangladesh without permission,” it said.
All these unauthorized flights may cause accidents by crashing into various authorized domestic and foreign passenger planes, helicopters and high-speed military aircraft.
Moreover, such unauthorized flights are considered a threat to national security and are a punishable offense under existing laws in Bangladesh.
The ISPR issued the directive having taken all such factors into consideration, the statement said.
On August 13, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued a press release prohibiting the flying of drones without permission being acquired from the authorities concerned.