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INTERVIEW Imagine continuing to watch the Netflix video you had left half way at home or shop on Amazon and pay for it mid-air, without in-flight connectivity. SugarBox has introduced a first-of-its kind Hyperlocal Content Distribution Network that will empower a host of digital services in areas with bad or no network without users being dependent on an internet connection. In an exclusive interview with Aviation World,Mr. Rohit Paranjpe, Co-Founder and CEO of SugarBox, India briefs about the functionality of its CDN platform and how this can help make the internet accessible to a larger number of people without burdening the existing infrastructure. Excerpts… What is SugarBox? In the world of internet infrastructure, one of the key components that exist today is something called a content distribution network or CDN, which is the mode of digital distribution, similar to how physical distribution ecosystems have been built. Today close to about two-third of all data accessed globally is routed through a CDN and not delivered directly by the App or the service. This is how the internet works at the backend and CDNs makes the internet faster, cheaper and scalable, so that millions of users globally can concurrently access data. SugarBox has built the first Hyperlocal CDN in the world. What this really means is that traditionally,the CDN infrastructure is installed inside Internet data centres and hence, require an internet connection to deliver data to end users. SugarBox installs CDN infrastructureat the user premiseitself and by the virtue of this, data from Apps can be delivered to end users using a local area network – either wired or wireless.Combining Edge computing, SugarBox is able to make Apps and internet services work for users even in places where internet networks don’t reach and is able to optimize the internet bandwidth required in scenaros where connectivity is prohibitively expensive. What service does SugarBox provide in the aviation sector? Specifically when it comes to Avionics, let’s evaluate the options currently available. The first alternative is a wireless IFE system, which offers a disconnected platform – The user has to use a separate website or App while inside the aircraft and the user gets a restricted choice of content or services that can be used only for the duration of the flight. Additionally, there are challenges likethe airline having to invest in the hardware& content licensing, limited monetization avenues and operational hassles. The second is an IFC system, where users get internet access and can use any App / service of their choice. However, the CapEx and OpEx associated makes it difficult for airlines to invest in this, in addition to a lackluster experience due to bandwidth constraints and barriers like it being a paid service for passengers. SugarBox is able to provide the best of both worlds for airlines. As a CDN, SugarBox is able to provide user’s access to their favourite Apps which they are familiar with and which go beyond just entertainment. If an airline is IFC enabled, SugarBox enables airlines to optimize IFC cost, incrementally enhance IFC experience and even offer a large set of services to passengers free of cost. Most importantly, all of this is made possible by installing the exact nature of infrastructure that is needed for wireless IFE systems. Who are your potential clients and what is the status of its launch? For us, the partners are two-fold. We intend to have direct dialogues withthe airlines and offer them our solution – both for airlines that aspire to provide IFC services to passengers, as well as the ones that aren’t keen on the same at the moment. However, if an airlineis in the process of deploying / already hasan IFC solution, we are happy to collaborate with their IFC solution provider and integrate SugarBox as a part of the same solution. SugarBox also factors in continuity that enables airlines to upgrade to an IFC system in the future, with SugarBox ensuring compatibility with the same. As far as our launch is concerned, we are just about to enter the Avionics market. The original plan wasto start two quarters back, but we were forced to put our plan on hold for industry to restart after the Covid-19 pandemic.But with the new calendar year, we hope to start with Indian airlines, post which we will rapidly expand to internationalcarriers as well. Elaborate more about the technology and its operations and regulatory approvals if any required to provide service in the Indian sky. We are aware that when it comes to Avionics,regulatory frameworks are stringent and more so, airlines need a degree of comfort and confidence in hardware that is deployed onboard So, instead of reinventing the wheel, we have partnered with Kontron AG, which is one of the largest Avionics players in the world with a footprint of over4000 + aircrafts already powered with IFE/ IFC Solutions. Kontron hardware is already certified by FAA and EASA deployed in aircrafts worldwide. The partnership with Kontron also enables us to provide multiple options to airlines based on their preference – ranging from a portable system to a fully wired system with multiple wireless access points installed in the cabin. What level of business are you looking forward towards it? SugarBox wants to partner with every airline worldwide that wants to provide onboard IFE / IFC services. It seems like a naïve statement to make, but we have managed to prove this with surface transport in India, where we have nearly captured the entire rolling stock market. The reason for this is three-fold: 1. SugarBox technology has multiple utility patents granted by the US patent office and priority filings across 150+ countries. 2. SugarBox offers a far better user proposition and user experience than traditional IFE systems and is able to improve the experience and optimize costs for traditional IFC systems. 3. SugarBox works with airlines in a Zero CapEx model and work out commercial structures that are sustainable for airlines. ( Published in Aviation World Jan-Feb 2021 Edition)

Dec 15, 2020 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Following the launch of the Etihad Greenliner Program at the 2019 Dubai Airshow, and the arrival of the flagship Greenliner in January 2020, Etihad Airways today officially inaugurated the latest aircraft in its journey towards sustainability, with the pioneering 2020 ecoDemonstrator entering commercial service following a series of industry-leading test flights across the United States. The aircraft, a brand-new Boeing 787-10 registered A6-BMI, is the latest arrival to Etihad’s 39-strong fleet of 787 Dreamliners, making the UAE national airline one of the world’s largest operators of the technologically advanced aircraft type. As the 2020 ecoDemonstrator, in partnership with Boeing, NASA and Safran Landing Systems, Etihad’s 787 Dreamliner was used as a flying testbed to accelerate technological developments with the goal of making commercial aviation safer and more sustainable. A familiar sight in the skies over the American Northwest in recent months, the uniquely branded Dreamliner, kitted out with complex testing equipment, conducted extensive research flying above Montana and between Washington state and South Carolina. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “As the first 787-10 to take part in the ecoDemonstrator programme, this very special aircraft stands testament to the innovation and drive for sustainable aviation that forms a core element of Etihad’s values and long-term vision. This is in line with the tremendous strides being made by Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, in the research and development of viable solutions to combat climate change. “Etihad’s partnership with Boeing, and participation in the programme with NASA and Safran, is one the UAE’s national airline is incredibly proud of. This exciting and progressive programme will have a real-world impact on our industry as part of Etihad’s Greenliner Programme and demonstrates Etihad’s ambitious sustainability strategy. As a prime example of industry collaboration, this aircraft is a unique example of how the aviation industry can come together for a more sustainable future.” To celebrate its launch into regular service, the special aircraft has been fitted with a commemorative plaque highlighting its contribution to sustainability, while its fuselage still retains some of the original ecoDemonstrator flight-test branding, including the ecoDemonstrator and Boeing logos, in addition to the words ‘From Abu Dhabi for the World’, a reimagined version of the airline’s famous tagline. During the ecoDemonstrator programme, A6-BMI was decked out with special equipment for eight days of specialised testing on seven initiatives to enhance safety and reduce CO2 emissions and noise. Flights took place in Glasgow, Montana, and during two transcontinental trips between Seattle, Washington, and Charleston South Carolina. During testing, a series of flights gathered the most detailed NASA aircraft noise information to date from approximately 1,200 microphones attached to the outside of the 787 and also positioned on the ground. The information will improve NASA’s aircraft noise prediction capabilities, advance ways for pilots to reduce noise and inform future quiet aircraft designs. Two cross-country flights across the United States demonstrated a new way for pilots, air traffic controllers and airline operations centres to communicate simultaneously, resulting in optimised routing, arrival times and reduced CO2 emissions. “Boeing’s partnership with Etihad Airways on this year’s ecoDemonstrator program elevated the strategic sustainability alliance we formed last year to a whole new level,” said Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. “Collaborations like these are invaluable to accelerate innovation that further enhances the safety and sustainability of flying. The testing we conducted, in partnership with NASA and Safran Landing Systems, will benefit aviation and the world for years to come.” As part of the programme, Etihad and Boeing tested two innovative ‘wellness’ technologies that will help airlines combat the treatment of COVID-19, by safely and quickly cleaning high-touch surfaces. These were a handheld ultraviolet light disinfecting system and an antimicrobial coating that helps prevent the growth of bacteria on tray tables, arm rests and other surfaces. The highest permissible blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) was used throughout the programme, as well as on the delivery flight from Charleston to Abu Dhabi. As a result, over 60 tonnes of emissions were avoided on the delivery flight alone. The aircraft’s delivery flight to Abu Dhabi saw Etihad collaborate with multiple Airspace Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) including the FAA, UK NATS and EUROCONTROL to optimise the flight path, cutting fuel burn by more than one tonne and CO2 emissions by approximately four tonnes. Following Etihad’s special flights to Brussels and Dublin in January and March 2020 respectively, this initiative continues to demonstrate Etihad’s strong track record in collaboration with ANSPs to optimise airspace utilisation to deliver lower fuel consumption, noise and carbon emissions. Etihad and Boeing also collaborated on testing new route planning technology on A6-BMI’s delivery flight. Boeing’s in-development capability forecasts a range of potential weather scenarios and suggests best available route options. AW News: Published unedited on the basis of Press Release

Dec 10, 2020 Zurich Airport International has selected a consortium consisting of Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP as the architects to design the passenger terminal of Delhi Noida International Airport (DNIA) at Jewar through a three-phase, design competition between June and August 2020. The winner was selected from three shortlisted teams with demonstrated experience in airport design – Gensler / Arup; Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP; SOM / Mott McDonalds. The design competition was conducted under exceptional circumstances this year, and the architects prepared and presented their designs collaborating and communicating remotely. All three teams faced this challenge masterfully. The winning design, presented by Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP, best fits the defined project objectives: merging Swiss efficiency and Indian hospitality, creating a modern and seamless passenger experience, setting new benchmarks in sustainability for airport terminal buildings in India, envisioning green spaces inside and around the building, offering a concept for a future airport city, and providing flexible expansion options to serve 30 million passengers per year in the future. Christoph Schnellmann, CEO, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited said, “We are pleased to partner with Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP to design this long-envisioned strategic project at Jewar.The team created the winning design with an efficient layout, convincing design language, multiple high-quality areas, spaced out with lush greenery with a balanced concept for both energy savings and a tangible sense of sustainability. The team demonstrated their proficiency in complementing customer comfort with sustainability, timeless design with flexibility for future needs. We will work closely with the team to ensure a design with everything available that a passenger expects at a world-class airport”. Gudmund Stokke, Founding partner and Head of Design at Nordic spoke on behalf of the team, “We are very happy to have won the confidence of Zurich Airport through our competition design for the new Delhi Noida International Airport. DNIA will become a unique new gateway to the world city of Delhi and to the state of Uttar Pradesh. In this project Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP will combine the collective experience and knowledge from the airports in Hyderabad, Oslo, Istanbul, Zurich to create a truly modern, innovative and green airport, based in a region of strong historic and cultural tradition”.

The Ready to Fly portfolio of solutions offered by Thales are designed to help airline restore passenger confidence in air travel during the crisis and in a post pandemic world. With Ready to Fly, Thales InFlyt Experience is focused on expediting the industry’s digital transformation through passenger-centric solutions and integrated products as well as services that increase crew efficiency. Ready to Fly solutions enable cabin innovations that reduce touch and mitigate passenger congestion. The Ready to Fly “touchless” solutions allow passengers to safely control the inflight entertainment system with their personal phone or tablet for a full IFE experience, including digital versions of onboard paper menus, magazines and important safety and health information. To reduce physical interactions with the crew, while maximizing services, the Thales Travel Assistant solution will enable passengers to request and receive automated information on the seatback monitor. The crew will also have the ability to gather information, receive notifications and control the cabin from their own secure personal phone or tablet. In future, Thales is looking forward to leverage its robust network of partners to develop cabin automation solutions that decrease congestion, facilitate aircraft disembarking, and manage passenger flow by using synthetic data. “Most important to Thales is that we are here to support our airline customers and work with them to tackle their toughest challenges during these unprecedented times. Our solutions are highly automated, reduce the need of interaction, and increase the efficiency of airline ground and air personnel. Ready to Fly brings multiple innovations that enhance wellness in the cabin while providing the best passenger experience.” Neil James, Vice President Sales, Thales InFlyt Experience.

STAR AIR FLAGS OFF FLIGHT BETWEEN HINDON- KALABURAGI SECTOR; WITNESS OVERWHELMING RESPONSE ON THE INAUGURAL DAY   BY VISHAL KASHYAP India’s one of the newest regional commuter airlines, Star Air flagged off its flight operations in 16th RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme) routes on 18th Nov 2020 with new sector Hindon( Ghaziabad ) and Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) in Karnataka. The inaugural sector had onboard Mr. Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) as the chief guest travelling as the first passenger. Also, present were the key officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI). The both sector from Kalaburagi-Hindon-Kalaburagi witnessed overwhelming response from the passengers. The commencement of the flight operations on the Kalaburagi – Delhi (Hindon) route is in line with the commitment and perseverance of MoCA and AAI to enable the country with better air connectivity under the UDAN scheme. Till date, 295 routes and 53 airports including 5 heliports and 2 Water Aerodromes have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme.   Star Air was awarded the Kalaburagi – Hindon route under the RCS-UDAN-3 bidding process last year. The airline will be operating three weekly flights on the route deploying its 50-seater Embraer-145 aircraft. It has under its ambit 16 routes under UDAN with the addition of the Kalaburagi – Hindon route. This flights also connects with Bengaluru with 30 minute operational halt at Kalaburagi, where new passengers check-in for the new sector. At present Star Air has 4 brand new Embraer-145 aircraft in its fleet and they have very intact strategic expansion plans with some bigger airlines having more seating capacity.   With this new sector, passengers can travel to long-distance journey of 1600 Kms in just 2-hour 20 minutes. Many people travel frequently between these two cities for personal as well as professional purposes. People from Bijapur, Solapur, Bidar, Osmanabad, Latur, Yadgir, Ranga Reddy, Medak would also receive direct benefit of the flight operations on Kalaburagi – Hindon route Kalaburagi airport which is at a distance of 13.8kms from the Kalaburagi city too been operationalized under UDAN to boost the aerial connectivity of Tier-2 & Tier-3 cities of the country. Kalaburagi which is known for its culture and is a gateway for tourist destinations including Buddha Vihar, Sharana Basaveshwara Temple, Khwaja Banda Nawaz Dargah and, Gulbarga Fort is now connected with the capital city Delhi with direct flights for the first time. This will act as a catalyst to boost the trade & tourism of the region. Star Air is a Scheduled Commercial Airline with an aim to connect pan India. It is the aviation arm of strategically diversified Sanjay Ghodawat Group (SGG), which is present in several high value industry segments. The flight schedule is mentioned below: Origin Destination Departure Arrival Flight Type Frequency Kalaburagi Hindon (Delhi) 10:20 12:40 Non-Stop Tue, Wed, Sat Hindon (Delhi) Kalaburagi 13:10 15:30 Non-Stop Tue, Wed, Sat   The writer has travelled with Star Air on the inaugural flight between Delhi- Kalaburagi-Bengaluru sectors on 18th Nov. 2020.First published in Aviation World web.

Vistara operated its first flight between Delhi and Dhaka, operated by its Airbus A320neo aircraft. The inaugural flight departed from Delhi at 0630 hrs(IST) and landed in Dhaka at 0920 hrs (BST). Starting today, the airline will be operating special, non-stop flights twice a week between the two cities under the bilateral ‘transport bubble’ between India and Bangladesh. Vistara’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Leslie Thng, said, “We are glad to introduce service on the Delhi – Dhaka route, offering the choice of unmatched comfort and the highest standards of safety and hygiene to customers from both the countries. Dhaka is an important fit to our network expansion plan and it underscores our commitment to growing our global network.” Vistara will accept all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements in both the countries, as specified by the respective government bodies. Vistara strongly encourages its customers to fully understand the relevant guidelines before making their bookings. Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and Trip advisor and has also been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards. In a short span of over five years since starting operations, Vistara has raised the bar for operations and service delivery in the Indian aviation industry by offering the finest flying experience to travelers.

Launched in 2016, the flagship program of MoCA, RCS-UDAN completes 4 years on on 21st October 2020.  A virtual celebration was held that observed participation of various stakeholders from the State Governments, Airport Authority of India, Airlines, and other officials from the ministry.     Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, MoCA has stated that the stakeholders should work towards making the UDAN scheme sustainable on its own and improve its efficiency.  During a video conference to commemorate the UDAN day on 21st October, he said that UDAN scheme has established the importance of travelling by air for common man specially to far flung areas. Shri Kharola congratulated the stakeholders and UDAN team for making the scheme successful with untiring efforts.  He urged the airlines to undertake marketing initiatives so that more and more people can take benefit of the UDAN scheme. Senior officials from AAI, DGCA, MoCA and airlines also joined the video conference. Shri Kharola said that one of the most important features of the scheme is that different agencies collaborated and synchronised their efforts towards the success of the scheme. He added that UDAN has created a virtuous circle wherein the UDAN routes feed the national network and the national routes further create new opportunities for the people across the country who then generate demand for more regional routes. Shri Arvind Singh, Chairman, AAI said that AAI is committed to build the infrastructure required for the UDAN scheme across the country. Smt. Usha Padhee, JS, MoCA thanked the stakeholders for their combined efforts and continuous support in making the UDAN scheme a success. She added that Government of India has acknowledged the contribution of UDAN initiative and identified 21st October 2020 (the day on which the UDAN Scheme document was first released) as UDAN Day. RCS-UDAN, “Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik” is a Government of India’s flagship program which aims to provide affordable, economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes. This Regional Connectivity Scheme offers unique opportunity to a common man to fly at an affordable price. UDAN has played a major role in adding new airports and routes to the aviation landscape of the country. 50 unserved and underserved airports (including 5 heliports) with 285 routes have been added under UDAN across the length and breadth of India. As the implementing agency, AAI has an ambitious plan to develop at least 100 airports/waterdromes/heliports by 2024 under the Scheme.

With CoC approving bid in favor of consortium lead by Murali Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch, it seems Jet Airways will be back to sky soon once all regulatory approvals are in place. A detailed report about the latest development in this regard by Aviation World Team.   “There is light at the end of the tunnel “. Well, this famous proverb fits well in case of once India’s prized airlines Jet Airways, which got some hope for its revival after Committee of Creditors ( CoC) approved the resolution plan submitted by Murali Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch under Section 30(4) of the Code as the successful resolution plan. This has not only saved the airlines from nose diving and becoming an ill-doted history but a sigh of relief on the face of 20,000 employees and more than 60,000 people indirectly associated with Jet Airways. The journey ahead is still tough as the new owners have to take care of debt in tune of more than Rs 8,000 crore to banks, with public sector lenders having significant exposure. However, claims made by financial creditors, operational creditors, and employees have ballooned to over Rs 40,000 crore, out of which claims to the tune of Rs 15,525 crore has been admitted by the resolution professional. Financial creditors such as State Bank of India, Yes Bank, and others have claimed Rs 11,344 crore but only Rs 7,459. 80 crore has been admitted. It was marked a black day in the history of Indian aviation when on 17th April of 2019.Jet Airways ceased its domestic operations after its last flight between Amritsar-Mumbai. It has terminated its international flights much before as the lenders turned down its demand for any emergency funding. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on June 20, 2019, admitted the insolvency petition filed by the lenders’ consortium led by State Bank of India against Jet Airways. The insolvency process for Jet Airways was supposed to be completed by June this year and the deadline was first extended to August 21, due to lockdown curbs, and then extended for an unspecified time. It’s been 18 months since Jet Airways last operated, CoC met 16 times to finalize a bidder and finally consortium lead by Murali Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch of Kalrock Capital has been duly approved to restart the airlines. The consortium had placed a bid of nearly Rs.1,000 crore. Over 97 per cent of CoC have voted in favour of the resolution plan submitted by the Kalrock consortium. After CoC approval, Kalrock Capital led consortium will now have to get the plan approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Upon receiving the NCLT approval, they would need to apply to civil aviation ministry and corporate affairs ministry for their approvals, respectively. Following the norms of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, Kalrock Capital-Murari Lal Jalan consortium deposited the performance security of approximately Rs150 crore ahead of the deadline of November 3. This amount is to bind the party in a bond and to ensure that the bidder doesn’t withdraw its plan later. Along with this, if the winning bidder is unable to execute the proposed plan, the amount is forfeited. THE EXACT DEAL & WAY AHEAD The new owner of Jet Airways, Kalrock Capital and Jalan consortium had placed a bid of nearly Rs 1,000 crore. The lenders will also get 9.5 per cent of equity in Jet Airways along with 7.5 per cent equity in loyalty rewards company InterMiles (formerly Jet Privilege). The Resolution Professional appointed by CoC,Ashish Chhawcharria  will now have to submit the resolution plan before the NCLT. Once the plan gets approved by the NCLT, the bidders will then have to get approvals from the Ministry of Civil Aviation for Air operators Permit( AoP) and slot allocation. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES At the time of its last operations, Jet Airways had a fleet of nearly 120 aircraft with new orders to acquire up to 225 Boeing 737 Max aircraft by late 2018. At present, it has only 12 aircrafts including Boeing 777, Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 planes. Experts believes that at present with curtail in both domestic and international routes, it will be good for the new operators to start with domestic routes first. Also, it’s been speculated that the actual operations of jet Airways might start from April 2021 onwards. ABOUT THE NEW OWNERS KALROCK CAPITAL London-based Kalrock Capital is a global firm owned by Florian Fritsch operating in financial advisory and alternative asset management, managing significant partners’ assets across a number of clearly defined and diversified strategies and single investments, with focus on private markets. The firm is primarily active in three verticals, Real Estate, Venture Capital and Special Situations. MURARI LAL JALAN Murari Lal Jalan is a UAE based entrepreneur and has investments in several sectors like real estate, mining, trading, construction, fast-moving consumer goods, dairy, travel & tourism and industrial works globally, according to reports. Quote: “We are delighted to hear such reports, and we remain committed to Jet Airways. Jet Airways is a renowned Indian aviation company with a strong legacy. The aviation sector underwent substantial correction on account of Covid-19 and created an opportune time to enter the sector. Our vision for Jet Airways is to operate the carrier as a full-service airline, both domestic and international.”     BOX ITEM: SERIES OF STEPS FOR JET AIRWAYS RESOLUTION April 2019: Jet shuts ceases its domestic operations June: SBI takes Jet to NCLT September: Synergy Group expresses but fails to give a plan January 2020: Resolution Professionals calls for fresh EoIs February: 3 suitors express interest but fail to give resolution plan March: RP asks for 3 months extension in CIRP of Jet from NCLT April: Jet gets CIRP extension till August 21 May: Lenders receive 12 fresh EoIs out of which 4 withdraws July: Finally 2 bidders give a final resolution plan September: Bidders make changes to their plans post discussion with lenders October: Voting concluded on 16th October 17th

DRONING IN: ON THE RED DOT  In this article, Piyush Gupta,Head of Aviation & Competition, Singapore provides a brief overview of the latest developments and regulatory changes proposed within the drone-tech space in Singapore to ensure that this ‘Little Red Dot’ becomes a drone hub within the South-East Asian region.  The last decade has seen a significant increase in innovation and commercial interest within the drone-tech space. Earlier drones were primarily used for military purposes, beginning in the early-2010s, a host of new uses were proposed for drones. As a result of their ability to reach the inaccessible places at low costs, drones are now being used by countries and governments for a number of purposes ranging from rescue operations, surveillance, delivering goods to transporting time-sensitive medical supplies. Suffice to say that drones are being seen by the governments across the world, as an important aid in its policies, both from a commercial as well as non-commercial perspective. Not to mention the plethora of opportunities (and challenges) that are, and will be generated from the commercial usage of drones and one can see why drones are considered the “new frontier”. Recently, we have seen Singapore taking massive strides towards becoming a pioneer in drone operations and use in a safe, commercially-savvy manner and this article dwells upon the latest developments and regulatory changes proposed within the drone-tech space in Singapore to ensure that this ‘Little Red Dot’ becomes a drone hub within the South-East Asian region. CHALLENGES A recent study conducted by drone research and consulting firm – Drone Analyst – identified the top three drivers for the drone industry in 2020, being: (a)Increased Hardware Competition – Commercial users have, until recently, largely used drones for recreational purposes. Now, new manufacturers and new commercial offerings are being provided to customers with respect to the hardware of the drones.  Additionally, even the open-source software companies have started taking interest in this tech space and are increasingly powering newer commercial drone solutions . For instance, the US Company – Freefly Systems – has recently announced a new multi-use enterprise drone for utility, telco, and infrastructure companies, as well as drone service providers and first responders . This means that instead of using different types / categories of drones for different uses, a ‘hybrid’ category has already been developed for multi-functional purposes. (b)Rising Global Tensions – The U.S.-China trade war could have a major impact on the drone industry.  While the Chinese manufacturers have never tried to market their drones to the U.S. defence forces, their products are typically inexpensive and customizable, making them attractive for a number of military operations.  Lawmakers subsequently questioned the use of federal funds to purchase Chinese-manufactured drones that hadn’t been designed for a military level of security. Now, many new manufacturers are marketing dual-use commercial drones appropriate for both military and commercial use . This links back to the ‘hybrid’ models that have already made an appearance on the drone-tech landscape. (c)Improved Autonomy – The ‘night-mode’ function has been around for ages now. When used on a phone, it automatically mutes all incoming calls. On a cuckoo clock, the sensor ‘senses’ night-time and automatically mutes the nightly “cuckoos”! Similarly, with the technological advancements, the question now is not whether drones can become autonomous, rather a question of how autonomous we want them to be? While the technology exists, for truly autonomous drones to take wings, adequate and proper regulations are needed. For instance, Remote Identification and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) platforms should form the absolute basis on which the implementation of autonomous drone solutions should vest on. Singapore is pushing towards becoming the world’s first Smart Nation, one that will improve the quality of life for individuals and business opportunities for enterprises, and drones are now a part of the Republic’s Smart Nation initiative . To establish itself as a drone-hub in the region, Singapore has introduced a slew of new regulations and policies for drone operators and manufacturers. Unsurprisingly, the Singapore Government adopted an evidence-based regulatory approach, wherein drone users were asked to provide proof-of-use of drone technology. This initiative materialised in the last quarter of the previous year (December 2019) when the Air Navigation (101-Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations were introduced. LEGAL ROAD MAP IN SINGAPORE The operation of drones in Singapore falls under the purview of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) – the same regulator which oversees the operation of aircraft. CAAS takes a serious view of errant unmanned aircraft (UA) operations which pose threats to aviation or endanger the personal safety of others. In May last year (2019), CAAS set up an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Advisory Panel (UASAP) to review the regulatory framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems . Upon the recommendations of the UASAP, the Air Navigation (101 – Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations (“Regulations”) were enacted [pursuant to section 3A of the Air Navigation Act (Chapter 6)]. The Regulations came into force on 2 January 2020. The Regulations list out the regulatory requirements that are needed to be fulfilled in order to operate a drone in Singapore, including the details in respect of registration and permit requirement for drone operations, specifying the ‘no-fly’ zones, as well as providing the penalties for non-compliance with the Regulations by the drone-operators. Set out below, is an overview of the basic provisions under the Regulations: (a)At the onset, a person who is 16 years of age and above and who desires to fly a drone, is required to register the drone with the CAAS if the drone weighs over 250 grams and if the intent is to fly the drone in and over Singapore. (b)For registration of the drone, a person needs to obtain a registration label. Each registration label will contain a unique identification number (UIN) which will be tagged to the respective drone(s) and needs to be stuck at a clear place on the drone. (c)Effective 1 February 2021, operating a drone weighing from 1.5kg up to 7kg requires the operator to hold