Drone Regulations
34. What is insured? The operator, the business or the aircraft?
Bahamas
The requirement in the Regulations do not specify whether the insurance policy is to relate to the operator, the business or the aircraft; but it does require the same to be at an acceptable level in accordance with the operation.
Bolivia
This is not detailed in the regulation.
Brazil
It is mandatory to insure third parties liabilities. All other insurances are optional.
Canada
The Operator.
Colombia
In the aforementioned case is the damages caused by the operator what is insured.
Costa Rica
The Directive does not specify, but the insurance covers the civil liability to third parties caused as consequence of the flight.
El Salvador
The aircraft.
Germany
As already pointed out, the mandatory insurance only covers third-party liability insurance. The insurance industry has discovered that the new world of UAS offers an enormous market which requires many insurance solutions beyond third-party liability.
As UAS equipment is expensive, loss or damage (e.g., airframe or payload) is also an insurable risk. The insurance industry even provides risk insurances that cover any event of destruction, damage, or loss of insured items through identified and unidentified risks, unless expressly excluded.
Further risks to which UAS operators or manufacturers are exposed are numerous (e.g. violation of personal rights and data protection laws). As a result, UAS operations are a growing area for insurance solutions and will keep the industry busy in the future.
Guatemala
According to Article No. 101.57 the insurance policy must cover surface damages and those caused during the flight.
India
The CAR does not specify whether the operator/business or the aircraft has to be insured.
Financial support and state aid
Israel
In accordance with the provisions of the Insurance Regulations, the air carrier is the one that must be insured against damages that may be caused to a passenger’s body, luggage, cargo or to a third party (see: response to question 33 above).
Italy
The aircraft.
Kenya
There are no provisions in the Draft Regulations on what should be insured on UAS. However, the Insurance Act, Chapter 487, Laws of Kenya requires aircraft registered or ordinarily located in Kenya to be insured.
Mexico
The RPA.
Nicaragua
There is not an express regulation on this matter.
Norway
What is insured depends on the specific insurance contract. However, the compulsory insurance coverage which is to be taken out by the operator, relates to coverage of third-party liability.
Pakistan
Please refer to our response to question 33.
Panama
The Regulations requires that the operator and the pilot have a third-party liability insurance policy.
Philippines
A Certificate of Insurance covering the RPA to be used, RPA Controllers, and third party liability must be submitted before a certificate for commercial RPA operators will be issued.
Portugal
In principle, the policy should provide coverage for damage caused by the UAV to third parties. Hence, both the operator and the actual pilot of the UAS should be protected under the said coverage for damage caused to third parties.
In any case, the mandatory conditions for the liability insurance policy have not yet been determined by the Portuguese authorities.
Puerto Rico
There is no state legislation covering this in Puerto Rico.
Romania
The European Regulation previously mentioned refers to air carriers and aircraft operators.
South Africa
The UAS.
Spain
According to article 126 of the Air Navigation Act, the aircraft (UAS) is the element that needs to be insured. In addition, RD 1036/2017 sets out as well the obligation of the operator to subscribe and maintain an insurance policy.
In this respect, it is necessary to subscribe a new insurance for each aircraft of the operator, and all of them need to be provided to the competent authority. This does not prevent the operator from entering into other kinds of insurances, but it is necessary to fly the UAS lawfully.
Switzerland
Only third-party liability insurance is mandatory for the operator, whether this is an individual person or a legal entity. Insurance of the UAS itself is optional (also see Question 33 above).
Financial support and state aid
Turkey
Damage and injury to third parties is insured.
United Kingdom
N/A
United States of America
This depends on the type of coverage. Insurers offer a variety of coverages for UAS operations, including on-demand coverage that allows remote pilots to only pay for coverage for specific flights.