ABU DHABI — The UAE Ministry of Interior stopped all flying operations for owners, practitioners and enthusiasts of drones, including drones and light sports aircrafts.

This encompasses also air and sail spots. This was put in place in coordination with the General Authority for Civil Aviation and in line with the relative guidelines, said WAM.

The decision came after the misuse spotted recently, not limiting the practice of these sports to the areas identified in the user permits and trespassing into areas where these types of activities are prohibited.

The ministry asked individuals and the community to respect the authorities directives, namely issued by the MoI, and the General Authority for Civil Aviation, in order to ensure the safety of lives and property, preserving them from unsafe bad practices. Hence, air activities will be suspended as of Saturday, January 22, 2022.

Entities that have work contracts or commercial or advertising projects that rely on filming using drones must communicate with the permit authorities to take the necessary exceptions and permits to carry out their work and projects during this period to avoid any consequences that affect the timing of these projects.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry reminded users that anyone performing these activities during that period and disregarding guidelines will be subject to legal liabilities. — Agencies