Slovakia adopts new rules to regulate drones
Xinhua, August 26, 2015 Adjust font size:
The Slovak government has introduced new rules to regulate the use of large privately-owned drones, Martin Nemecek from the Slovak Transport Office said Wednesday.
"The Slovak Transport Office has issued a provision stating that permits are required for all pilotless aircraft weighing more than 20 kg. In order to obtain such permission, drone operators have to take theoretical and practical tests to prove that they know how to use the drone safely," said Nemecek.
Meanwhile, drones must never be used within 3.7 km of an airport or within 1.5 km of a built-up area or a large gathering of people.
Although the Transport Office is officially aware of only around 20 privately-owned drones in Slovakia, Nemecek thinks that there could be as many as 10,000 of them.
The sale of drones via the internet increased by as much as 850 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2015, according to the official.
"If something happens, we need to know who owns the drone and who was operating it. That's why we issued the provision," said Nemecek.
No cases have been recorded so far in which a drone has been shown to have threatened air safety in Slovakia. Endit