Members of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee (MEPs) approved plans to update EU civil aviation safety standards on Thursday, implementing revisions that aim to address emerging risks and establish EU-level requirements for drones.
The updated plans would transfer authority for all drone operations to the EU civil aviation framework, requiring the EU Commission to define parameters for drone design and operations. The draft rules also address issues including emissions and noise, and flights over conflict zones and unlawful act risks. They would also task the EU Commission with defining safety rules for both design and flight, as well as set out conditions for mandatory registration.
“EU aviation safety standards are already high. Even so, the growing use of drones and threats from terrorism and cyber-attacks require new rules to ensure aviation safety and security,” rapporteur Marian-Jean Marinescu said. “At the same time, these rules should be performance and risk based – ultralight or business aviation should not have to meet the same requirements. Unmanned aircraft have great potential for the future. Many applications are already providing various services, with better quality and results. At the same time, without proper discipline, these could give rise to serious safety and security problems. Registration and identification are basic requirements. Unmanned aircraft with a take-off mass higher than 250 grams and all certified ones should be registered.”