His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed that the issuance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to Law No. 4 of 2020 regarding the regulation of drones in the Emirate of Dubai It is considered an essential pillar for making Dubai among the leading cities in the world in anticipating and making the future within the civil aviation sector, which is one of the basic components of the local and national economy, thanks to its continuous development to move forward towards achieving his ambitious vision of Dubai becoming an airport for the world.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed said: "There is no doubt that this law is an essential step to enable the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and facilitate its mission in implementing the" Dubai Sky Dome "initiative to build a structural environment system for unmanned aircraft, as this law contains the decisions and legislation necessary to define the responsibilities of the organization, Supervising and controlling the use of drones, and also includes designing and developing an integrated framework for licensing services, issuing certificates, permits, no-objection certificates, inspection related to unmanned aircraft systems, and providing a legal system to investigate accidents and aviation incidents related to the operation of these systems.
Drones systems have received increasing attention as one of the important future developments in the civil aviation sector, and the transport sector in general, and in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Executive Council, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has presented a detailed project for the drone systems policy which was called the "Dubai Sky Dome" initiative. .
Step one
For his part, His Excellency Mohamed Abdullah Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO of Dubai Air Navigation Services Corporation, said that the new law is among the first steps that Dubai is taking to advance to many cities around the world, and it has been developed and prepared as a result of efforts Joint between the authority and the General Secretariat of the Executive Council, and the Supreme Committee for Legislation, which led the law preparation team with the participation of all partners from the relevant government agencies, so that this law will be the first major component of the "Dubai Sky Dome" project.
He added: "The law clarifies the powers of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the relevant government agencies, as well as how it regulates the activities related to drones, their use, circulation, registration, manufacture, import, sale, and possession of them, in addition to the legislation related to their control systems and airports, and explaining the law The obligations related to the operation of drones and how to use the emirate's airspace, and the approved, prohibited, restricted and dangerous areas.
His Excellency explained that the law is a first step to transform Dubai into a virtual infrastructure for the airspace of aircraft systems known as "unmanned aircraft", linking places and buildings through mini-airports and airports throughout the emirate, and that these activities will constitute an important economic tributary to the emirate's economy. By designing and developing an integrated business system for mobility services, air freight, and logistics services within the Emirate of Dubai.
Gain opportunities
For his part, Mohammed Abdullah Linjawi, Executive Director of Aviation Security and Accident Investigation Sector and head of the “Dubai Sky Dome” project team at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said that the new legislative rule guarantees facilitating procedures for operating drones while maintaining the level of security and safety of the airspace, and that The project, which was approved by the Dubai Government’s Executive Council, aims to gain future potential opportunities for these systems at a time when global studies indicate that the transport sector for UAV systems, consisting mainly of delivery, freight, passenger, survey and photocopy services, will be a promising and emerging sector.
After completing the legislative base for the project by issuing the drone regulation law in the Emirate of Dubai, work will be carried out on implementing the other components of the project, which are building the air navigation management system for drones, and the "Dubai Shield" system to achieve security and safety in the uses of drones, and building the master plan For the Master Plan infrastructure for airports, stations and ground and air service locations, then developing an integrated smart services platform as a comprehensive regulatory system for all uses of the domestic airspace of unmanned aircraft and providing unique government services; It is a smart digital platform for granting instant permits, and no-objection certificates will be issued by the relevant government authorities to provide air services for unmanned aircraft systems to contribute to the economy of Dubai, and the governance of their use to ensure security and safety and not to affect the efficiency and capacity of the emirate's airspace for commercial civil aviation.
The “Dubai Sky Dome” project will also include the master plan for the infrastructure of earth stations and their uses as airports, loading and connecting stations, maintenance, operation and shipping stations, and others, and the adoption of the relevant specifications. It will also include classification of the main urban areas in the Emirate of Dubai with the aim of building a model for the distribution of ground and air service sites and determining distribution standards On economic, societal, environmental, legislative, and operational bases, enhancing public transport activities in the emirate, building multimodal transport systems, and strengthening the link between air vehicles and ground vehicles. In addition to serving and raising the value of industrial and commercial areas.
Airspace integrity
Obaid Saif Al Nuaimi, Director of Aviation Security and Hazardous Substances at the authority and head of the Dubai Shield system project team, said that an important component of the “Dubai Sky Dome” project is the Dubai Shield system, which is concerned with protecting the safety and security of the atmosphere from drone uses through detection and tracking systems , As this system provides, in cooperation between the governmental and security authorities concerned, the capabilities necessary to meet the emerging challenges in this regard.
It represents the endeavor of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God preserve him, that Dubai be an airport for the world and be a forerunner and a world leader in looking ahead, especially with regard to regulating the use of aircraft Without a pilot, the Dubai Sky Dome is one of the most important projects that support this trend and will have the greatest impact in achieving sustainable development of the aviation market and value-added services for aviation customers and enhancing the performance and safety of civil aviation and reducing its environmental impact, and the project is the result of fruitful cooperation between the authority and the participation of Partners in choosing an integrated project for a new air transport system that includes legislation, operation, facilities and services in addition to a private sector partnership that will enhance the project’s success as a true contribution to Dubai’s future for the better.