153 Maldives

Red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent moon. The closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag. Red recalls those who have sacrificed their lives in defense of their country, the green rectangle represents peace and prosperity, and the white crescent signifies Islam.

Flag courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Map courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Google Earth

The Royal Graveyard in Male is near the Grand Friday Mosque and contains the tombs of the country’s heroes and members of royalty.

Photo courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Maldives is a member of ICAO.
Last updated on November 23, 2023

Government

According to Britannica, the constitution of the Maldives was adopted in 2008. The head of state and government is the president, assisted by a vice president and a cabinet. The president and vice president are directly elected by universal suffrage to a maximum of two five-year terms. The cabinet consists of the vice president, government ministers, and the attorney general. With the exception of the vice president, members of the cabinet are appointed by the president.

The unicameral legislature, called the People’s Majlis, meets at least three times per year. Its members are elected to five-year terms from Male island and from each of the 20 atoll groups into which the country is divided for administrative purposes. The number of representatives from each administrative division is determined on the basis of population, with a minimum of two per division. The 2008 constitution established Islam as the official state religion. Non-Muslims cannot become citizens, and the People’s Majlis is prohibited from making any law that contravenes the tenets of Islam. Other governmental bodies include civil service and human rights commissions.

The highest legal authority is the Supreme Court. Its judges are appointed by the president in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission, a body of 10 members appointed or elected from various branches of the government and the general public. The Judicial Service Commission independently appoints all other judges. There are no judicial term limits; the mandatory retirement age is 70. All judges must be Sunni Muslims. The Supreme Court bases decisions upon the constitution and Maldives law; in cases in which applicable law does not exist, Sharīʿah (Islamic law) is considered. Other courts are the High Court and trial courts.

Civil / National Aviation Authority (CAA/NAA)

Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was established by the Parliament under Act No.02/2012 on 11th January 2012. The CAA aims to develop and administer policies and regulations to ensure safe, secure, orderly and economic development of aviation in the Maldives. CAA places great emphasis on adopting highest common standards of safety and environmental protection in civil aviation. Their vision is to achieve regulatory excellence in aviation safety and security through a well motivated work force. The main tasks of CAA are setting up national safety standards which are compliant with international standards; economic and safety regulation through regulation of airports, air traffic services and airlines.

Airspace

SkyVectorGoogle MapsADS-B Exchange

ICAO countries publish an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). This document is divided into three parts: General (GEN), En Route (ENR) and Aerodromes (AD). ENR 1.4 details the types of airspace classes they chose to adopt from classes A through G. Maldives AIP

airspace classification

airspace classification

Drone Regulations

Drone Safety

Drone use is growing at a rapid rate in the Maldives. The CAA Drone Initiative is designed to help you fly drones safely and legally, without endangering others

Get Approval

The many seaplanes that serve over 90+ floating platforms scattered over the country operate under VFR conditions and it is therefore extremely challenging to set up boundaries for recreational drone operations.

Refer to the drone approvals page for more information.

Drone Safety

Follow the following guidelines to help you fly drones safely and legally.

Flying Remotely Piloted Aircraft (Drones) in the Maldives

The Maldivian environment is quite unique where 99% of the total geographic area is the ocean. This requires continuous seaplane operations which serve 90+ floating platforms scattered over the country. Seaplanes operate under VFR conditions and it is therefore extremely challenging to set up boundaries for recreational drone operations. Currently all drone operations are reviewed on a case-by-case and the following procedures must be followed.
STEP 1 – Approval from the Hotel or Island
Commercial Video / Photography
Approval should be obtained from the National Centre for the Arts prior to the operation. Fill their application form and email info@nca.gov.mv.
Recreational Video / Photography
Approval should be obtained hotel or the local island council prior to the operation.
STEP 2 – Approval from the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF)
Obtain approval from the Maldives National Defense Force. Fill in their application form and email it to admin@defence.gov.mv. This step may be completed concurrently with Step 1.
 
STEP 3 – Approval from the CAA
Once approval has been obtained from the hotel/island and MNDF apply to the CAA on our application form and send it to ans@caa.gov.mv. ENSURE to include a copy of the permit from MNDF with the application. Further restrict drone operations to below 400 feet.

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

 

Short Essay Questions

Question 1

You have been hired by a Drone Startup Company. Your boss has immediately assigned this job to you.

They need you to prepare a one-page memo detailing the legalities of using a drone to film the graveyard in Male, pictured above.

They need you to mention any national laws and local ordinances.

They specifically want to know what airspace you will be operating in and whether or not you need an airspace authorization.

Does it matter whether or not you are a citizen of the country?

Lastly, there is a bonus for you if, as you scroll through this chapter, you find any typos or broken links!

Question 2

Do you need a certificate to fly UAS?

If so, how do you obtain one?

Are there fees associated with this?

If so, how much?

Question 3

May you operate beyond visual line of sight?

If so, what procedures must you follow?

Question 4

Does the country have UAM/AAM laws? If so, describe, citing the exact law.

Question 5

Are you aware of any new laws or policies not mentioned above? If so, describe, citing the exact law or policy.

 

 

 

License

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Drones Across the World Copyright © 2023 by Sarah Nilsson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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