EU Call For Drone Registration

In the wake of ten incidents in the UK this year where drones risked a collision (according to the CAA), ten different associations across the continent have made a joint call for safely intergrating UAVs into European airspace. The group includes the International Air Transportation Association and the European Cockpit Association, though the UK's Civil Aviation Authority has not joined it yet.

The call recognises the national regulations for drones under 150kg, but notes that there is no unified European framework. Some national regulations do not differ significantly in their treatment of commercial drone operators and recreational operators. A continent-wide system would rely on robust implementation by the national authorities.

Along with a compulsory training and licencing system and registration of the UAV, they are calling for an extensive public awareness campaign, to ensure full awareness of the regulations that would lead to better compliance and the aim of 'harmonising' all the differing national regualtions. It would also require further, more in-depth research into the effect of impacts with aircraft, similar to that of bird strikes, as this is still a relatively unknown quantity, given that the recent drone incidents have all tended to be near-misses.