DGCA chief highlights collaboration between aviation regulator and drone industry

The Chief of India's Civil Aviation regulator(DGCA) highlighted the growing collaboration with the country's drone industry, via initiatives such as establishing a robust regulatory framework and fostering partnerships for drone certification, pilot training, and indigenous manufacturing. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, IAS, Director General, DGCA, was speaking at the launch of private firm Garuda Aerospace's drone battery manufacturing facility in the Southern Indian city of Chennai.

Kidwai officially inaugurated the new Academic Block at Garuda Aerospace’s DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO), which is a commercial drone pilot training facility approved by the government of India. The expanded infrastructure is aimed at enhancing training capacity, strengthening curriculum delivery, and meeting the rising demand for certified drone pilots across key sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, defence, disaster management, and logistics.

"The range of drones being manufactured here is beneficial to armed forces, farmers, and industry, and is used in various applications. Garuda Aerospace is taking indigenisation to the next level by producing critical components,

assembling and producing parts for which we are dependent on other countries," said Kidwai. To meet the demand for certified drone pilots in the country, the DGCA has approved around170 Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs)as of 2025, which have churned out thousands of pilots.

The students here, once they obtain their licenses and become certified drone pilots, will have a significant role to play in ensuring the growth of this industry, as drone applications are expected to expand exponentially, the DGCA Chief stated. It was added that the DGCA's collaboration with India's drone industry is aimed at positioning India as a drone hub and ensuring safe, legal, and efficient drone operations across various sectors. As of June 2025, more than 100 drone models have received DGCA Type Certification, allowing manufacturers to mass-produce specific models without individual testing for every unit. To boost the manufacturing of drones within the country, the DGCA certifies domestic facilities.

Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and Director, Garuda Aerospace, said, “Over the last 10 years, Garuda Aerospace has been in agriculture technology, and has manufactured over 3,000 drones and trained more than 2,500 drone pilots. We were approved by the DGCA for both drone manufacturing and training, and our clients received the first-ever Agriculture Infra Financing drone loan".

It is heartening to see the practical impact of progressive government initiatives and policies coming to fruition, including schemes where women’s self-help groups were provided with agricultural drones to enhance livelihoods, the SMAM drone subsidy scheme, and the Production Linked Incentive for boosting indigenous manufacturing, he added.