Tighten drone flying rules now rather than wait for revised laws, Hong Kong lawmakers urge officials
Issues of contention include privacy, robustness of regulation, registration and demarcation of no-fly zones
Rules on flying drones in Hong Kong should be tightened immediately by civil aviation authorities as any proposed amendments to legislation on unmanned aircraft would be outdated when enacted, lawmakers said on Tuesday.
At the Legislative Council economic development panel hearing, legislators expressed doubts over suggestions by authorities to revise drone regulations. Among the issues raised were the robustness of the rules, privacy concerns and wrangling over no-fly zones.
Following recommendations by industry experts, the Civil Aviation Department had proposed requiring most drones – formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) – to be registered and for users to be trained and insured.
Tougher drone rules on the cards in Hong Kong as industry body warns of ‘reckless’ flying and threat to passenger aircraft
Wallace Lau Ka-ki, deputy secretary for transport and housing, told lawmakers that the government was keen to strike a balance between public safety and innovation.
The aviation regulator’s proposal suggests drones should be divided into three categories based on weight, which would determine how they can be flown. The rules would dictate whether drones need to be registered and whether owners need basic or specialist training.
Owners with drones weighing under 250 grams would not need to register their devices with authorities. Anything over this weight would be subject to tougher regulation.
“For the approach to registration and regulation, we need to advance with the times,” lawmaker Lo Wai-kwok said. “We may very well want to introduce certain restrictions but I’m afraid they will soon become outdated. What we need most urgently is a marking system and a registration system.”