The intention of this Innovation Hub paper is to recommend actions to create a policy framework that will facilitate the introduction of a unified approach to the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
The paper also aims to give an appreciation of the scale and breadth of impact that the integration of UAS into UK airspace could have across the aviation ecosystem. This aims to justify why the development and implementation of policies, regulations, technology and systems will require extensive collaboration and leadership on a national and international scale.
The recommendations are summarised on page 29 and are aimed primarily at the CAA and HM Government to facilitate positive action in the near term. Publishing these recommendations is intended to aid transparency on the process and progress of the CAA in this area.
It is expected that the paper will inform the government’s Aviation Strategy 2050 via the joint UTM Policy Group, which may also take forward some of the actions. Necessary enabling work, once it is defined, will be included in an updated Airspace Modernisation Strategy to help deliver UAS traffic management (UTM) in coordination with the other initiatives to modernise the UK’s airspace.