The new European Drone regulation came into force at the end of December 2020. Drone operations, either for commercial or leisure purposes, are now subject to the same conditions right across Europe. 

While the ‘open’ category covers a concrete range of operations, the ‘specific’ category caters for operations that present a greater risk than that of the ‘open’ category without reaching the level of risk defined for the ‘certified’ category. A proposal for the provisions for the ‘certified’ category of operations will be issued in 2022. The next step for the ‘specific’ category is to standardise the approvals of operations. For this reason, EASA issued guidelines for the design verification process for drones used in operations classified medium risk (SAIL¹ III and IV according to SORA²). 

¹ Specific assurance and integrity level
² Specific operation risk assessment, published as AMC1 Article 11 to Regulation (EU) 2019/947

The guidelines provide indications on the application of the AMC to Article 11 and its broad explanation will be the subject for this open live stream session. 

The ‘specific’ category has the potential to capture a wider range of UAS operations, allowing drone operators to customise the way to safely conduct the operation. Operations in this area have an incredible future ahead and are expected to grow significantly over the coming years. It is important that the whole professional drones community – National Aviation Authorities, manufacturers and operators – all understand these new guidelines, the technical terms involved, the broad steps in the process and any other aspects relevant for planning a professional business with a drone or fleet or drones in this particular niche of commercial drones. During the live session the EASA Drones team will also focus on the approval process for the authorisation of the operation and explain what it is and who does what.

This session will help you understand and remember what is required to fly your medium risk drone safely and compliantly for work in Europe. Do you have questions and are looking for answers? You don’t want to miss this event!