On 29 August 2016, three regulations were issued by the Ministry
of Internal Affairs (MoIA) jointly with the
Ministry of Defense (MoD), the Ministry of
Transport (MoT) and the Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA), restricting, prohibiting and regulating,
respectively, the operation of drones in Venezuela. It was the very
first time that the term 'drone' appeared in a local legal
instrument, so it marked the 'Big Bang' of the existence of
these flying devices in the national legislation.
It was not until 23 December 2016, however, that drones were
effectively incorporated into the national aviation legal
framework. On that day, thirteen Venezuelan Aviation Regulations
("RAV's") were amended and reissued
to regulate their use, registration, classification and operation.
The result was a robust and comprehensive body of law not yet seen
in other jurisdictions in Latin America, the main points of which
are described below.
