Telangana also gets nod for BVLOS drone flights for vaccine delivery – MENAFN.COM

Telangana also gets nod for BVLOS drone flights for vaccine delivery – MENAFN.COM

Hyderabad, May 7 (IANS) Telangana has secured conditional exemption from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for conducting experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights for delivery of vaccines, an official statement said on Friday. Exemption from Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 has been granted as part of government's constant endeavour to enhance the scope of drone usage in the country and assist the nation to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, a Civil Aviation Ministry statement said. Last month, Telangana was granted conditional exemption for conducting experimental delivery of Covid-19 vaccines within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) Range using drones. To accelerate the drone deployment process to formulate application-based models, the grant has been extended to Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). The trials may commence by end of May. Earlier this month, 20 consortia were also granted permission to conduct BVLOS experimental flights of drones. BVLOS trials will help create the regulatory framework for drone deliveries and other major applications. Meanwhile, the Telangana government said on Friday that the airspace in Vikarabad was already cleared by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and is currently being reviewed by Ministry of Home