2.3 Information on relevant civil drone regulations
Depending on your geographical location and sector focus, you should be able to find information on the specific regulations relevant to your drone business idea. The European regulatory environment can cover a number of important areas of drone operations (some of these are discussed by Schnitker & van het Kaar, 2021), including addressing the following kinds of questions:
- What are the compliance requirements for drone operation?
- What risk assessments are necessary to perform for safe drone operations?
- Which regulatory bodies authorise drone operation?
- What licensing or certification procedures are required prior to operating a drone?
- How do regulations differ depending on whether a drone is remotely controlled or autonomously piloted?
The next activity offers some possible resources to start your investigation.
Activity 4
As noted, the EASA regulates drones in the EU. Download the template below, to access a customisable Word document you can use to guide your investigation into the regulatory environment of your business idea. You will be able to use this information later in the course as you develop your business case.
Regulatory environment investigation – template [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
Table 1 below provides five links and resources for you to start your investigation.
| Website | Description |
|---|---|
| EASA –Air & mobility | This link takes you to the ‘Air & Mobility’ pages of the EASA website. It includes information on:
|
| EASA – National aviation authorities | This is a subpage of the EASA website that provides information on the national authorities in each of the EU member states. |
| EASA – Regulatory framework background | This is a subpage of the EASA website that gives the history behind drone regulation and more information on existing and proposed regulations (updating as necessary). |
| European Parliament Newsroom | This link is to a 2018 press release on the 2018 EU rules for drones. You can use this website to search for news specific to your drone business idea. |
| Denton’s – Drone laws around the world | This is a link to the Second Edition (2023) compendium of drone laws and regulations across the world complied by a global law firm. |
Discussion
The amount of information available on drone regulation can seem a bit overwhelming, especially when you are first starting out with your business. The EASA website recommends that the first step is to register in the country where you live by contacting the relevant National Aviation Authority. You may also wish to contact local, regional or national drone associations, or indeed local governmental bodies in your initial investigations.
It is also worth noting that your business idea may not relate specifically to the physical operation of drones. You may be developing a data analytics tool or a new type of imaging algorithm, for example. For this reason, legislation and regulations on data protection, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) may be applicable in how you collect and store data. National Aviation Authorities may also have information on these regulatory areas, e.g. the Irish Aviation Authority provides information to drone operators on how GDPR may affect their drone operations (IAA, 2024).