Hong Kong to require drone users to register, train and pass tests under proposed law

Owners of drones will have to register them, undergo training and pass tests, and buy insurance from next year as the Hong Kong government will gazette a long-delayed bill to regulate the remote-controlled flying devices on Friday. The regulatory regime, known as the Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) Order, would be tabled to the Legislative Council on July 21, a spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said on Wednesday. The order, in the form of subsidiary legislation under the Civil Aviation Ordinance, will take effect on June 1 next year with people given a six-month grace period to familiarise themselves and prepare for the new requirements. The exceptions are offences in relation to endangering acts, restricted flying zones and enforcement which will take effect next June to safeguard aviation and public safety. Critics and concerned parties have long called for rules tailor-made to drones, which have soared in popularity as more hi-tech models become available. The government had planned to submit the bill in the last quarter of 2019 after the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) held a three-month public consultation the previous year. However, the 2019 social unrest and the coronavirus pandemic delayed it. “[The order] will provide a forward-looking regulatory regime that can foster the innovative development and application of SUA in Hong Kong in tandem with evolving technology, while safeguarding aviation and public safety,” the spokesman said. US to make greater use of drones to spy on China, experts say Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming said regulations were inevitable given more people were using drones for many purposes, including recreation, commercial photography and the carrying of goods, causing safety issues. “We all agree there is a need to regulate the operation of drones, otherwise if there are accidents, we don’t know how to safeguard public safety and pursue the involved parties’ responsibilities,” he said. Under the new rules, owners will have to register drones weighing more than 250 grams, and take “short web-based training” to fly those between 250 grams and 7kg. Drones of 250 grams or below will in general be subject to operating requirements, such as altitude and maximum flying distance, only. Operators of drones over 7kg will have to undergo in-depth training and pass competency tests at their own cost. The first validated course will be rolled out in mid-July with more to follow in coming months. Third-party insurance would be mandatory for operating drones weighing more than 250 grams, with coverage ranging from HK$5 million (US$643,000) to HK$10 million, with the top figure for those weighing over 7kg. The CAD will set up an electronic portal for online registration in the first quarter next year. The director general of civil aviation will also be empowered to designate no-fly zones for drones. At present, drones are classed as aircraft and governed by civil aviation legislation. Operators are required to observe telecoms laws, but no specific regulations cover the use of drones, known formally as “unmanned aerial vehicles”. How Shenzhen, the hi-tech hub of China, became the drone capital of the world Civil aviation law only requires those who operate drones weighing more than 7kg for leisure or commercial photography to apply to the CAD. The CAD received 27 complaints about drones in 2015, 47 the next year and 60 in 2017. Lock Chow, founder of drone user group UAVHongkong, welcomed the proposals but said high insurance fees could put some people off. He estimated annual insurance premiums for drones weighing over 250 grams but less than 7kg would be about HK$1,000 (US$129). “I guess some users who want to avoid paying for insurance might quit playing with drones or use them illegally. Some may switch to drones weighing less than 250 grams to avoid the insurance payment,” he said. “But there is really a need to regulate the operation of drones as it will be easier to track down the responsible parties if there is an accident.” In 2017, a man was arrested for flying a drone over the track during Formula E races in Hong Kong, in breach of local aviation laws. The following year, New People’s Party legislator Eunice Yung Hoi-yan reported to police she had found a drone hovering around the balcony of her home. Several government bodies use drones including the Fire Services Department, Lands Department and elite police squads.

Hong Kong to require drone users to register, train and pass tests under proposed law

After a nearly two-year delay, lawmakers will take up legislation next week regulating use of the unmanned aerial vehicles Flying any aircraft heavier than 250 grams will require training, while operators of heavier ones will need to take out insurance

After a nearly two-year delay, lawmakers will take up legislation next week regulating use of the unmanned aerial vehicles

Flying any aircraft heavier than 250 grams will require training, while operators of heavier ones will need to take out insurance