DUBAI // Drone enthusiasts who fly the gadgets equipped with cameras are breaking a little-known law that has been in force for nine months, they were told on Monday.
In addition, few owners know that they are required to register their drone with the General Civil Aviation Authority.
The rules came into force last April, three months after recreational drones strayed on to flight paths at Dubai airport and grounded passenger planes.
Compliance with the rules is difficult because most drones come with inbuilt cameras, and because it is not possible to register with the authority at the point of sale.
“Only a limited number of private drone operators have knowledge of the law regarding entering civil airspace, air traffic control and avoidance procedures and safety issues surrounding that,” said Mohammed Al Dossari of the GCAA.
The authority will launch a campaign this year to educate consumers about the rules, and they will publish a map showing airspace from where drones are banned.
In the meantime, consumers are confused, particularly about the ban on cameras. “They’ll have to start removing the cameras from the drones sold here as I think most of them have them,” said Sean Blacksmith, from the UK.
“It’s going to be very difficult to enforce that rule and I don’t think it’s fair to blame the buyer because you don’t make much of a choice as the camera is already on the drone,” Mr Blacksmith said.
Imran Yousif, 22, from Pakistan, had been considering buying a small drone as a birthday present for his nephew but was having second thoughts.
“The problem is that no one will register it because it’s too easy for them not to at the moment – and then you have the added problem of the cameras,” he said.
“I can understand the concerns the government has about safety but I think it should first ask the manufacturers not to include cameras or make them easy to remove.
“Otherwise it’s very difficult for a normal person to understand what they should do.”
Vinod Kumar, manager of Ultimate Hobby in Al Garhoud, said most people were unaware of the regulations.
“When someone buys a drone from us we inform them that they must register with the GCAA, because it’s a requirement and they could get into trouble if they don’t,” he said.
“I would say for most people thinking about buying a drone, they have no idea.
“If you go to the malls and buy a drone no one will tell you that this has to be done and I think that is a problem.
“There should be some kind of registering once the drone is bought in the shop, otherwise people will forget or some will not bother at all.”
A manager at the Hobby Centre in Al Garhoud said shops should be given an official booklet detailing the rules and regulations for drone operators to follow.
“This way the retailer can better inform the customer when he is buying the drone,” he said.
“For our own shop we make sure we have Emirates ID and contact information about the customer just in case there is an accident or if the drone is flown in a restricted area.
“Drones all have their own serial number so if there is an incident I can easily check who the owner is and have the details.
“This is not something the government has advised us to do, it’s something we felt was important to do ourselves.”
Another GCAA official, Waleed Al Riyami, said: “We had a case recently when Abu Dhabi Airport had to be closed for an hour because a private drone came close to its airspace.
“These are the kinds of things we hope to prevent in future by having campaigns to educate the public.”
Meanwhile, the panel of judges for the second UAE Drones for Good competition has been announced and features a host of experts from academia in the UAE and abroad.
About 20 teams will compete in the semi-final stage of the national and international categories on February 4, with a US$1 million (Dh3.67m) first prize in the international and Dh1m national categories up for grabs.
Mr Al Dossari and Mr Al Riyami were speaking at the Drones Middle East conference held at Marriott Al Jaddaf in Dubai.
To register a drone or for more information, visit the GCAA website at www.gcaa.gov.ae.
nhanif@thenational.ae
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
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'Nope'
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
