| dc.description.abstract | This research evaluates whether the degree of consistency and relevancy of drone and
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) laws existing in Sri Lanka (SL) is sufficient to cater for
society’s needs compared to the laws governing the European Union (EU). To reach the
objective of the research, it adopted a qualitative research method that includes personnel
interviews, a library-based black letter approach, and a comparative analysis of international
materials. In the inception of the discussion, this research highlights the challenge
of formulating a viable and normative law in character pertaining to drones, which is an
inevitably necessary and integral task. In the research, both the EU Regulation 2019/947
of 2019 and the Civil Aviation Authority of SL’s regulation UAS-IS-2022 on implementing
standards requirements for the operation of pilotless aircraft were extensively examined
to identify the credentials for the operation of unmanned aircraft in the two regimes.
In the analysis of EU Regulation 2019/947, it was found and appreciated that higher
consistency prevailed in the regulations governing drones on the regulations affecting
registration, certification, privacy rights, assessing operator competency, and commercial
utilisation compared to the SL regime. The research concludes that the SL regulation for
Implementing Standards UAS-IS-2022 and the requirements for the operation of pilotless
aircraft entails significant legal flaws in the areas of registration, certification, privacy
rights, assessing operator competency, and commercial utilisation. Finally, the research
proposes six recommendations based on its findings to rectify the existing defaults in the
prevailing drone regulations in SL. | en_US |
