GCAA restates drone rules after minister complains about drone over husband’s house

Last Updated on Sunday, 8 February 2026, 22:59 by Writer

Hours after Minister Amerindian Affairs Sarah Browne-Shadeek publicly complained that a drone flew over her husband’s residence and violated her sister’s privacy, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Sunday reiterated that flying of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over public or private property is prohibited unless permission is granted.

The civil aviation regulators said flying the aircraft over or near private or public property is only possible if there is explicit permission from the property owner.

The GCAA also says drones are expressly forbidden from operating within 150 metres (492 feet) of any congested area, organized open-air assembly, or within 100 metres (328 feet) of any vessel, vehicle, or structure not under the operator’s control.

The reiteration of this rule comes five months after several State and government-aligned privately-owned media houses were allowed to fly drones at low and high altitudes during the official opening of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge.

On that occasion, a master of ceremony called on drone operators to lower their UAVs before the planes flew over.

A number of the drones were also flown at very low altitudes almost within touching distance by attendees.

Air traffic controllers were alerted by persons at the venue that aircraft pilots participating in the fly-over of the bridge should be on the lookout for drones, raising concerns about whether those media houses had obtained permission to use drones at that event that was attended by hundreds of persons.

Drones are also used by the Department of Public Information during coverage of public events that are usually attended by numerous persons.

The GCAA warned that a “breach of these regulations constitutes a serious criminal offence” and violators could be fined up to GY$1 million and/or two years imprisonment.

Non-compliance with permit conditions, and operations outside the limitations specified in the GCAA UAV Directive (Operation and Surveillance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | GCAA/ASR/DIR/2017-01), or failure to adhere to an approved operations manual will result in immediate suspension of UAV drone permit and be prosecuted as a breach of the GCAA regulations.

To ensure that persons adhere to the GCAA regulations and avoid undue violations, the GCAA is appealing to the public to comply accordingly with its directive.

The public was urged to immediately report any and all unauthorized operations, suspicious or unsafe drone activity to the nearest police station or to the GCAA safety hotline at 608-4222. “The full force of the law will be applied to defaulters. The GCAA is committed to maintaining the integrity of Guyana’s airspace,” the Authority added.

The GCAA issued the statement after the Amerindian Affairs minister publicly stated on social media that a drone on Sunday morning flew over the home of her husband. “The drone came so low that a close female relative of mine who had just exited the bathroom felt exposed and ran for cover,” she said.

Ms Browne-Shadeek said she was forced to ask for a security guard for the safety of the family after noticing suspicious activities. She said vehicles had been following her since an incident at the Amerindian Hostel, Princes Street, where “I was bullied” in the presence of others. “I want to let those involved know that this will not move me or deter me from representing my people,” she said.

The main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) on Sunday posted several aerial pictures of the Amerindian Affairs minister’s husband property, saying they were taken on Saturday.

In a separate post Leader of the Opposition Leader and Leader of WIN, Azruddin Mohamed said, with the building in the background that there was “Not a troolie leaf in sight. Minister Sarah Browne-Shadeek, some of our Indigenous people want to live like you too in a more than 100 million dollar home. As MP Deon La Cruz rightly stated, they do not wish to be born and die in troolie houses.”