EASA presses on the accelerator to support drone operations in the EU

SORA 2.5 will simplify the authorisation process for UAS operations in the specific category by:

• clarifying its text, thereby making it easier for UAS operators to meet the expectations of competent authorities;
• reducing the room for interpretations and so enabling more harmonised implementation across Member States;
• lowering the amount of evidence required for obtaining an authorisation for most Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) operations classified as low risk (SAIL II).
• relaxing certain requirements, in particular those related to the containment of drones within the operational volume.
• completing the package after EASA published over the summer the Means of Compliance for medium risk (SAIL III) operations

The IAM Hub is a central platform designed to simplify and fast track drone rule implementation. It also facilitates the exchange of information on drones and electric aircraft. The IAM Hub is designed to help not only the developing IAM industry but also the national and regional governments.

Launched in December 2023, the IAM Hub connects cities, regions, national authorities, operators, and manufacturers involved in introducing air taxi and drone services. It serves as a central platform for sharing reliable information and data.

The fifth release of the IAM Hub introduces a series of new tools, in particular:

• The Drone Rule Navigator, a user-friendly tool to help operators understand applicable regulations, determine the category of their operation, and identify the relevant requirements.
• A guide co-created by the Urban Air Mobility Initiative Cities Community (UIC2) intended for EU & national political stakeholders, emphasising the central & collaborative role that cities must play in helping shape, integrate, and govern Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in alignment with societal needs.
• the eSORA tool, an automatised implementation of SORA 2.5 that enables UAS operators to design their operations and compile all evidence needed for an operational authorisation. This tool also includes a Cross-Border Operations feature to facilitate operations across multiple Member States. Initially, the eSORA tool will be accessible only to Member States and IAM Hub Task Force members.  EASA plans to gradually open access to all UAS operators in the near future.
• The IAM Hub drone economy dashboard now includes timeline data.
• Thanks to the collaboration with all Member States, Copernicus and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the IAM Hub now includes population density data as well as land use data in line with the related EASA Guidelines.

Daan Dousi, Head of EASA’s Innovative Air Mobility Department, said: “The publication of SORA 2.5 and the Release #5 of the IAM Hub shows how EASA is stepping up the hands-on implementation support for the Drone Economy with new guidance and digital tools”.

Falk Götten, Team Leader for Operational Authorisations and LUC said “Germany welcomes and supports the use of the IAM Hub to simplify and digitize the approval processes. LBA plans to use the features of the IAM Hub extensively for its own application processing in the specific category. At the same time, we encourage UAS operators to take advantage of the benefits this tool offers for the application process and the safety of drone operations in general”

“The IAM Hub is designed to help not only the developing IAM industry but also the national and regional governments. As an IAM Hub Pioneer city we were able to connect with other cities and international authorities to work for solutions that benefit our city. We look forward to the upcoming operations in Helsinki to showcase the capabilities to our citizens,” said Christina Suomi, Project Director U-space, City of Helsinki.

Franziska Biermann, Head of Unit for Cluster Policy, City of Hamburg said “As a IAM Hub Pioneer city we were able to connect with other cities and international authorities to work for solutions that benefit our city. We look forward to the upcoming operations in Hamburg to showcase the capabilities to our citizens. We are also pleased to have led the work on the guide on the role of local authorities, which is now included in the IAM Hub and contains important policy recommendations.”

Background

The project is funded by the European Commission and the European Parliament. It is Flagship Action Number 7 of the European Commission Drone Strategy 2.0 to enable a smart and sustainable EU drones market. The current Phase 2 lasts until September 2026. 

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Photo by Valentin Zickner on Unsplash