The Director-General of the General Administration of Customs, Counselor Jamal Al-Jalawi, has issued a circular to all managers at the ports with the instructions not to ‘release’ drones (aircraft) without the approval of both the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Civil Aviation.

The Director-General said the circular was issued subject to the letter from the Ministry of Interior No. 1301 on 25/9/2019, which said recently the deployment of drones was noticed with the use of a remote control of varying sizes and types and all of them work on gasoline.

The letter also said the drones can be equipped with a camera (surveillance and radar) with range of up to 1 km as well as ‘drone helicopters’ equipped with cameras and are operated by phone with accuracy and that it is user friendly.

The Ministry of Interior said the aircraft should not be allowed to enter the country without permission from the General Directorate of Security Relations and Information at the Ministry of Interior through any port.

The Civil Aviation Administration confirmed a request has been sent to all ports not to permit the entry of drones without obtaining the prior approval of the department.