A committee of the European Parliament has approved plans for new civil aviation safety rules to govern the regulation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The Transport and Tourism Committee approved the plans, which address UAS safety and privacy requirements in the European Union (EU), on Thursday.
“Unmanned aircraft have great potential for the future,” said committee member Marian-Jean Marinescu. “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.”
The committee’s plan includes national and continent-wide provisions for safety management systems — provisions that the committee said would enable early identification of potential safety risks.
Other elements of the committee’s plan call for each state within the EU to establish a national aviation safety program, as well as a plan for identifying key safety risks for civil aviation and actions to mitigate the risks.
