EASA Drone Regulations for 2024
DR 2019/945 | IR 2019/947
– FULLY UPDATED –
Although, they had been in force since their publication in 2019, it is not until the year 2020 that their progressive application have begun.
Initially, the first changes were planned for July 1st, 2021, but the situation caused by the health crisis of COVID-19, forced to delay the time, as it happened with all activity worldwide.
The Implementing Regulation 2020/746, modified the dates indicated in SR 2019/947, and set new deadlines adapted to the situation.
Thus, the timetable for the implementation of the new European Regulation on UAS, updated with the latest news, is as follows:
From the application of the Delegated Regulation 2019/945, the technical requirements and specifications that must be incorporated, in a mandatory way, by the drones destined to the operations under open category (that we will see later) are standardized.
The systems, applications and accessories accompanying the drone are included. Also, the safety information that the aircraft must detail in the manuals.
Of the two new regulations, the one that interests us most, both pilots and operators, is the one that regulates their use, the 2019/947 Implementing Regulation. From now on, three different operational categories are established, according to the level of risk of the operation itself.
Thus, the classification will be as follows: open category for low-risk procedures; specific category for medium risk; and certified category for flights presenting a high level of risk.
It also recalls that you will have to take account of IR 2020/746 of 4 June, which modifies the paragraph on the dates of IR 2019/947, in order to adapt it to the new international context on the occasion of COVID-19.
This operational category includes low-risk flights for which no prior authorisation or declaration by the operator is required.
The explicit prohibitions for the open category are:
Furthermore, open category establishes a certain number of requirements to be met:
Besides, three different subcategories are established based on operational limitations, requirements to pilots and technical requirements of the UAS.
SUBCATEGORY
For drones of less than 250 g, of private construction before the standard, or of type C0 and C1, which fly over people not involved in the operation, it is established that it is necessary to know the aircraft manual.
Besides, for type C1, it will be necessary to take an online training course and pass a theoretical exam, also online.
SUBCATEGORY
This subcategory is established for C2 type drones, i.e. weighing less than 4 kg and incorporating the e-ID, low-speed and geo-awareness systems). The flight is allowed near people outside the operation, provided that a safety distance of 5-30 meters is maintained.
For this purpose, it will be necessary to know the drone manual and to have a certificate of competence, obtained through training and theoretical-practical examination.
SUBCATEGORY
For privately built or pre-standard drones under 25 kg, operations will be allowed in areas away from residential, recreational, industrial or commercial areas, within a minimum of 150 meters.
The requirements will be the knowledge of the user’s manual and the completion of an online course with its respective exam.
The new EASA drone Regulations dictates that the specific category applies to operations that do not fit into the open category, for risk reasons:
Additionally, the following conditions must be met:
Also, if NOT flying in the standard scenarios, which are specified below, the drone operator must own an operational license.
In the following scheme, you can see the applicable operational requirements, according to the nature of each operation.
The general requirements for operations within the certified category are:
The detailed rules concerning the certified category are still being developed by the EU.
As defined above, there are implementation periods for the new European regulation. Therefore, all the changes described above have been implemented gradually. In fact, since 2019 there has been a transition period during which the old legislation coexists with the new. In 2024, we are already experiencing the final stage of this transition.
Until this year, Royal Decree 1036/2017, which regulates the use of drones in Spain, remains in force. Furthermore, as we have already mentioned, it will still be possible to submit declarations of conformity to the STS-ES until 30 August 2024. But be careful, from that date on, only operational declarations based on the European scenarios, STS-01 and STS-02, can be submitted.
It is also important to clarify that although European legislation aims to bring all EU Member States under the same regulatory framework, countries will still have discretion in some areas, such as the designation of UAS zones.
As always, we at One Air will keep you up to date with the latest regulations, so that you have everything you need to know to fly your drone with maximum safety. In the meantime, we recommend you read this article about DroneMask, a product that has revolutionised FPV flying.