On 24 February, the EASA Committee approved the U-Space regulation, ahead of future adoption by the European Commission.

As previously communicated, ERA, as a member of the We Are All One in the Sky (WAAOITS) initiative, have voiced several ongoing concerns in the context of the U-Space regulation and communicated these to the Commission and the EU DGACs ahead of the EASA Committee that was held on 23 and 24 February.

Whilst these were noted, these issues were not seen by the Committee as significant enough to delay the approval by the Committee. 

Subsequently, the WAAOITS group sent a letter [1]to the Commission and EASA ahead of the meeting of the informal expert group on drones that was held on 3 March.

In the letter the group:

• Suggested to organise a workshop on the AMC/GM before its publication.
• Requested to set up the EASA SAB DRONE Committee (D.COM) as permanent forum with key representatives from manned and unmanned aviation organisations/

EASA have since clarified that the AMC/GM will continue to be developed by the expert group and our suggestion to establish a D.COM has been included in the latest proposal in the context of the revised restructure of Stakeholder Advisory Body.

Following meeting of the EU Informal Expert Group on Drones, the following post-meeting papers and presentations were made available for distribution and can be found in the download section at the top right of this page:

• Final version of Regulation on a regulatory framework for the U-space + Annex
• Final version of Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 as regards requirements for manned aviation operating in U-space airspace
• Final version of Regulation amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373
• Minutes of the meeting
• Presentations on U-space regulatory package
• Drone Strategy 2.0

Please also note that on 8 March, EASA published guidance to help aviation operators and national authorities manage drone incidents near airports, a response to a number of recent events which have disrupted Europe’s air traffic at considerable expense to aviation operators, bringing inconvenience for passengers and posing a potential safety threat.

The Drone Incident Management at Aerodromes manual (available to download at https://www.easa.europa.eu/drone-incident-management-aerodromes-part-1 [2]) addresses unauthorised drone usage in the vicinity of airports. 

Should members have any questions in the context of drones or U-Space, please contact nick.rhodes@eraa.org [3].