For long, aviation regulations have primarily been centred around manned aircraft and their operations – driven mainly by the air traffic management (ATM) systems, which traditionally governed manned aircraft.

Drones enter the conversation.

The rapid growth in the drone ecosystem has brought to the spotlight the need for an integrated framework so that the unmanned aircraft systems can seamlessly co-exist with the traditional ATM systems.

Integration Of ATM/UTM Systems

The current ATM system is not designed to handle traffic from unmanned aircraft.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been working towards the integration of the ATM policy and unmanned traffic management (UTM) policy, in an effort to integrate the unmanned aircraft system into the airspace, which will be facilitated by the DigitalSky platform.

According to DGCA officials, the DigitalSky platform serves as the core system for aircraft certification, streamlining the regulatory process to facilitate smooth operations. A co-central system will also be established to monitor the various other systems.

As India moves forward with its vision of a self-reliant drone ecosystem, the interoperability of the airspace becomes crucial. Military drones and commercial or consumer drones have to be integrated into not only a common framework but also a harmonised system driven primarily by a digital-first approach. 

Unlike other countries such as the US and China, India's military-grade drones share components with civilian or commercial drones. In the US or China, there are distinct vendors for military and civilian drones, while in India, the two sectors operate in tandem.

Vision For Global Drone Hub

With rapid growth in the drone ecosystem, airspace interoperability comes to the fore. Manned and unmanned aircraft must coexist in the same airspace. This would happen only through the integration of the various policy frameworks governing civil aviation.

The drone ecosystem is witnessing explosive growth. By 2030, the country aims to become a global drone hub, propelled by the Drone Rules 2021, production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, and the proposed Mission Drone Shakti. To boost domestic production and accelerate adoption, the Centre, in September 2025, slashed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on drones (commercial or personal) and other unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to a uniform 5%.

Drone Ecosystem

As of February 2026, a total of 38,575 drones have been successfully registered in the country, and a total of 39,890 remote pilot certificates (RPCs) have been issued. The DGCA has also approved a total of 244 Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs) as well.

With rapid growth in the drone ecosystem, we are now looking at a stronger, liberalised policy framework that integrates the digital infrastructure for monitoring and certification.

The policy framework for Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems has to complement the already existing guidelines and, at the same time, align with the set of best practices given by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it is a combination of standards, procedures, technology, and real-time data exchange that would enable the smooth operations of unmanned aircraft, ensuring their harmony with manned aircraft in the same airspace. 

Budgetary Allocation 

The first major budgetary allocation for drones was made in the Union Budget 2022-23, following the Drones Rules 2021, which had liberalised drone operations with the digital-first approach (Digital Sky platform).

Here comes the crucial role of UTM systems. Highly automated and algorithm-driven, they serve the purpose of human traffic controllers, ensuring the safety of the airspace through the integration of the digital infrastructure.  

UTM Policy

The UTM policy was officially notified by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on October 24, 2021. Once it comes into effect, drone usage in India is set to grow at an unprecedented rate, as the UTM framework, linked with the DigitalSky platform, would automate flight approvals, facilitating efficient operations.

The UTM policy gives an impetus to the domestic drone ecosystem, complemented by the Liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, and the ban on foreign drone imports in 2022. The policy establishes a digital, automated system for managing drone traffic, primarily in airspace below 1,000 feet (VLL).

According to officials of the DGCA, the UTM policy will be implemented soon, but it will largely be driven by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), since AAI is the sole Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) in the country.

"Since this is going to co-exist with the existing manned aviation, a harmony has to be found. That harmony is basically interoperability of the same airspace by both the advanced air mobility and the manned aviation," says a senior official.