Overview of EU UAS Regulations

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945(2)and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947(3) established a first set of detailed provisions for the harmonised operation of unmanned aircraft systems (‘UAS’) and minimum technical requirements for UAS

UAS Safety and Risk Concerns

The rising number of UAS entering the airspace and increased complexity of operations of UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), initially at very low level, poses safety, security, privacy and environmental risks.

U-space Integration and Automation

In certain areas, such as primarily in those with an expected large number of simultaneous operations of UAS or areas where UAS operate alongside manned aircraft, the safe, secure and efficient integration of UAS in the airspace necessitates the introduction of additional specific rules and procedures for their operations and the organisations involved in those operations, as well as a high degree of automation and digitalization

Geographical Zone Specifications

When Member States define UAS geographical zones for safety, security, privacy or environmental reasons as provided for in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, they may impose specific conditions for certain or all UAS operations or allow access only to UAS equipped with certain technical features.

U-space Services and Requirements

It is necessary to define a minimum set of requirements for the UAS operations in certain UAS geographical zones, which should be called U-space airspace for the purposes of this Regulation. The access by UAS operators to such U-space airspace should be conditional on the use of certain services (‘U-space services’) that allow the safe management of a large number of UAS operations, respecting also applicable security and privacy requirements.