The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) yesterday said that it would consider revising regulations on uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法) after they take effect on March 31 next year.
An amendment adding the regulations was passed by the Legislative Yuan on April 3 last year and promulgated by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on April 25.
The CAA yesterday held its first computerized license test for drone operators, which was taken by 24 people from government-affiliated agencies.
All the applicants passed the written test and are scheduled to conduct drone flight tests in Miaoli County this afternoon, the agency said.
People flying drones weighing at least 2kg or those who need to operate drones at special events should have a valid license to do so, it said.
All drones used in Taiwan must be registered with the it, the CAA said, adding that owners who fail to do so would face up to NT$150,000 in fines, while people operating drones without a license would be fined up to NT$300,000.
The minimum fine for people flying drones in restricted airspace is NT$300,000, it said.
Drones are likely to be used in various services and applications, from the delivery of goods to those equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) functions, CAA Flight Standards Division Director Clark Lin (林俊良) said.
As the technology continues to mature, the agency is considering amending the regulations after they take effect next year, Lin said.
The government wants to be in sync with other Asia-Pacific nations in terms of the certifications for drones weighing between 25kg and 150kg equipped with RFID functions, Lin said.
The CAA has been attending a regional UAV alliance conferences to gather the latest information on drone applications.
At present, foreign drone operators must have their drones certified locally if they want to use them in Taiwan, Lin said.
If there are identical standards across the Asia-Pacific region, the CAA could then streamline certification procedures for drone operators, Lin said, adding that it has reserved the room for such an amendment in the regulations.
The Chinese-language Commercial Times yesterday reported that the CAA might start to regulate the components used in drones by asking owners to report the suppliers of the components.
The proposal follows a drone attack n Saturdayon two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, it said.
Incidents such as terrorist attacks are under the purview of national security agencies, which would determine which facilities need heightened security, Lin said.
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