Joint statement: U-space Level 1

We have the regulation, but we don’t have the flights! 

Despite a comprehensive drone regulatory framework, scalable beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations are still not a reality in Europe. We therefore strongly welcome the simplification efforts undertaken by EASA, developed together with industry over the past year, e.g. regarding cross-border operations and the extension of standard scenarios.

A last-minute addition to this simplification package tackles one of the major challenges holding back the deployment of drone operations: the complexity of the U-space regulatory framework. The introduction of a staged approach, as proposed by EASA – a U-space Level 1 with a reduced set of services for less complex airspaces – is intriguing and could provide a stepping stone towards full U-space (Level 2) in areas where it is needed.

However, the devil is in the details.

As European industry associations, jointly representing the different sectors of the drone ecosystem – from manufacturers and ‘open’ and ‘specific’ operators to technology and service providers – we have identified a number of significant issues in the proposed amendments. In their current form, these could not only undermine the objective of safely and predictably scaling BVLOS operations, but could also have unintended negative consequences for operations that are already taking place and for ongoing efforts to establish U-space airspace (level 2).