Kuala lumpur: A total of 250,000 drones, used for various purposes including personal and agricultural use, have been registered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) to date, the Dewan Negara was told today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said the rapid growth in drone usage requires comprehensive coordination through a regulatory framework for the Low Altitude Economy (LAE), which is currently being developed by the government. "Once this framework is launched, many agencies will be involved because operations will not only cover business aspects but also safety and security," he said during the question-and-answer session.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Wu Him Ven regarding the ministry's plan to create a special control centre to coordinate LAE operations involving multiple agencies. The framework's development, he said, would involve a thorough assessment of all relevant factors, including whether a dedicated centre should be established under CAAM.
He said that a public consultation on the LAE regulatory framework will commence in August, with approval expected in September and the framework targeted for launch by the end of this year. He added that the concept of operations for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is scheduled to be unveiled in October, in conjunction with the Transport Expo Asia (TXA) 2026.
He clarified that the approval for drone frequency usage falls under the purview of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), with related matters handled through the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM). Subsequently, he said, operational details such as location, pilot information, altitude limits, and purpose of use must be registered with CAAM.
Hasbi also noted that several regulatory sandbox sites have been established to support the development of the framework, including at MRANTI Park here, Iskandar Malaysia in Johor, Universiti Selangor and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.