14th feb I traveled with emirates from Kuwait to Bali , transit in Dubai with my drone as hand carry in hard case, the batteries removed and in protection bags, I had minimum issues with security. I was stopped when initially boarding the plane in Kuwait but after security understood what it was I was free to board. I was not questioned when transiting in Dubai or when arriving in Bali
Feb 14th 2018 only? wow!
Maybe it's just a pre-caution they made that rule available from their website that you need to secure any drones as checked-in luggage, or maybe not lol.
But i still have more time to decide as i am traveling in the month of May, wether i am going for a hard case or bringing my drone as a carry on.