Beyond sight behind barriers report
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Beyond sight behind barriers report
Adjusting the flightpath of UK drone traffic management to propel the industry skywards.
The UK drone market “…stands at a critical inflection point, where it could either contract or quickly accelerate, dependent on the implementation of regulatory frameworks and technological advancements.”
This key reflection, from the Connected Places Catapult’s ‘Beyond sight, Behind barriers’ paper, explores the readiness of the UK’s drone sector to exploit new opportunities for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights and services.
There are immense opportunities available to the UK, however without positive action now, they will not be achieved, and we will lose the economic growth potential of the sector. We call on the industry, regulators, and the Government to reset the current ineffective approach and seize these possibilities.
The paper covers several issues affecting new drone traffic management technologies and the systems that enable them. Fundamental to solving these issues is the development and co-design of a UK-wide vision for drone traffic management and its iterative testing with industry.
The paper also investigates prevailing thoughts on configuring the future market in the UK, including the level of federation and resulting competition. It highlights some potential challenges stalling progress, which were identified from regulatory engagement and development during the UKRI Future Flight Challenge Skyway Project. The paper also signposts work and a current consultation being undertaken by the Law Commission, covering future regulatory and legislative options for drone traffic management – and calls for the drone industry to actively participate.
Finally, the paper concludes with four urgent recommendations for decision takers and policy makers in Government and the Aviation Regulator to drive forward action now and unlock the current persistent barriers.
We hope you enjoy the paper and that it empowers you to take action to adjust the current flightpath of UK drone traffic management, so that it realises its full growth potential and propels the industry forward.
