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Drone Regulation 2024
2024 is approaching, a year anticipated for changes and advancements in drone regulations in Europe. In this article, we’ll analyse some of the most important changes that operators of drones should be aware of.
All these novelties should be accompanied by new national regulations. As of today, there are still numerous national regulations within the member states that haven’t been adapted to the new European regulations, making it challenging to understand how to operate on a day-to-day basis. As this date approaches when certified drone use and potential scenarios will be standardised across Europe, it’s time for the various EU member states to publish new national regulations coherent with these rules.
It’s important to remember that managing airspace is the responsibility of each member state, just as establishing zoning and requirements for flying in these zones. For instance, each member state might incorporate specific requirements for flying in urban areas, such as the necessity to notify law enforcement before each flight.
Drone Certification
Use of Certified Drones (with Class Identification Label)
The primary novelty is the arrival of the mandatory date for using certified drones with class markings to fly in the Open Category and in European STS. Several years have passed since the EU regulations were introduced, and we’ve begun to see certified drones available on the market. As of today, there are already some drones available for purchase, facilitating this new transitional stage to continue advancing in the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) industry.
If you want to know which drones are certified as of today, you can check this updated page: List of certified drones.
For more information about the drone certification process, you can access the following page: Drone Certification.
Drones are certified according to established requirements tailored to the risks of each subcategory within the Open Category. For example, for flying in subcategory A1, we can use drones with class markings C0 and C1. Both have specific characteristics that make them safer in the event of a fall, making it easier for the pilot to conduct operations without the need for as many mitigating measures.
Use of non Certified Drones (without a Class Identification Label)
What about non-certified drones?
All non-certified aircraft will be limited to flying in specific scenarios. Let’s see what can be done:
- Drones with a take-off weight of less than 250g: must be used in Open Category A1.
- Drones with a take-off weight of less than 25kg: must be used in Open Category A3.
As you can observe, significant restrictions will apply to their use. But what if we want to use these aircraft for flight in a specific category? We can always use the aircraft through a PDRA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) or Operational Authorization, but in some countries, we can still adhere to national standard scenarios. If we do this before the year ends, we can continue using these aircraft until the end of 2025, albeit by meeting the regulatory requirements.
Here you’ll find an article with more information about Flying in STS with non-certified drones
Permissions for using drones in Standard Scenarios STS
It’s time to start preparing manuals to comply with the requirements of STS scenarios.
Training for the new European drone STS scenarios
Open Category Drone Training
Training for drones in the Open Category will remain the same in all member states since it is already standardised.
Specific Category Drone Training
For pilot training in the specific category, a unique training session must be completed, enabling flight in standard scenarios across all EU member states. Currently, many countries have training based on national scenarios, which must be adapted to the training requirements of European STS scenarios.
Conclusions
A time of change is coming in the drone sector. Alongside the introduction of European regulations and their flight categories some years ago, this new stage will mark another significant change in the drone industry.