TL:DR - Pack the UAVs in check-in luggage. Pack the controllers + batteries in cabin baggage. Empty out the contents of the cabin baggage into the tray while passing through security.
Note: This is a brief post describing our learnings regarding the transport of UAVs through Indian airport security in 2022. It is written in the hope that it helps other Indian UAV users navigate airport security without delay. I don’t think this will apply to non-Indian UAV operators, especially if they don’t present as Indian.
At Technology for Wildlife Foundation, one of our core operations is the use of robots (both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Unmanned Underwater vehicles) for conservation data acquisition purposes. For some projects, our partners send us data they’ve collected using their own devices. However, for others, it is imperative that we be on site with our equipment. This occasionally necessitates the transport of our robots across the country. For sites close to our base in Goa, India, we travel by either road or by rail. For these modes of transport, our primary concern is to package the equipment securely to avoid damage during transit. While traveling by air, however, we need to put much more thought into transporting our equipment.
As of November 2021, UAV users in India have a clear set of guidelines to follow, in the form of the Drone Rules 2021. As UAVs have become more mainstream, the security establishment is also formalising and mainstreaming processes around UAVs. To transport drones within the country, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who manage security at most of India’s airports, now seem to have guidelines on how to process UAVs at domestic airport security checkpoints.
Based on whether baggage is being carried in the cargo hold or in the passenger cabin, there are two categories of baggage on flights: cabin, which accompanies the passenger, and check-in, which goes into the hold. In brief, drone batteries and controllers (which contain fixed batteries) must be carried in the passenger cabin, while the drones themselves (without any batteries) must be carried in the cargo hold. If the controller batteries are removable, the controllers can also go into check-in baggage, which may be required depending on the size and weight of the controller. UAVs with fixed batteries cannot be carried on domestic airlines.
Pack the drones carefully, in a locked piece of luggage, as they will be out of sight passing through the luggage handling process, which can be rough on fragile items. The check-in luggage is deposited at the counter. In the past, with other robotic devices, we have informed the check-in staff that there are complex devices within the luggage. I personally have been called to check-in luggage security to verify what exactly the device is. Informing the check-in staff that the luggage contains UAVs without batteries is not required by regulations. While it may be helpful, it may also invite additional unnecessary scrutiny and is not something that we have felt the need to do regularly.
When going through security with our cabin baggage, we place every single piece of electronic equipment into the security tray that passes through the conveyor belt. When security staff have enquired as to the purpose of the devices, a straightforward answer of either “batteries”, or “drone batteries and controllers, but the drones have been checked-in”, has sufficed so far. We also carry paperwork that describes how the drones are to be used and have been used in the past; for us specifically, these consist of permission letters from the Forest Department.
At some point in late 2021 or early 2022, posters depicting what cannot be carried as cabin baggage have been expanded to include drones as an additional item at the bottom of the poster. We’ll update this post with a photo of the poster the next time we have the opportunity. In the meanwhile, do let us know about your own experiences transporting UAVs by air in the comment section.