MUSCAT: People using remote-controlled flying gadgets, including drones will face fine of OMR 10,000 and one-year jail sentence if they are found using without obtaining approval from the competent authorities, according to Oman’s Public Prosecution.
The move came after the closure of Muscat International Airport two times in less than two months last year, causing disruption and cancellations of flights at a cost of millions of riyals to the economy.
At the time of the Muscat airport closure, the most recent of which was in December, a top official at Oman Airports said “we have got to find a way of controlling it immediately”.
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According to the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA), only companies with will be allowed to operate drones and they need to get approval from the authority.
In a statement issued on Sunday, PACA said: “Companies should get a no objection certificate from competent authorities before applying for a drone permit from PACA”,
Apart from PACA, permissions to fly drones need to be taken from the Royal Oman Police (ROP), Royal Oman Airforce (RAFO) and National Survey Authority (NSA).
