UK Drones Alliance – inaugural event

The UK drones sector faces significant regulatory barriers to growth at a time when the government’s is seeking to unlock the economic potential of drone technology. While progress is being made towards enabling routine ‘beyond visual line of sight’ (BVLOS) operations by 2027, questions remain around the pace of regulatory reform, the costs facing operators and the role of government in supporting the adoption of drone technologies. To explore these challenges and opportunities, on 5 November at Central Hall Westminster, GK Strategy hosted the inaugural meeting of the UK Drones Alliance, a new sector body bringing together drones businesses and policymakers to help shape a regulatory environment that supports growth in the UK drone sector. The event provided these businesses with the opportunity to hear directly from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Future of Flight team, which leads the development of government policy towards emerging aviation technology, including drones.

The UK Drones Alliance will help drones businesses navigate the evolving policy and regulatory landscape through regular policy updates, industry events and engagement with policymakers and regulators to overcome barriers to growth, including restrictions on BVLOS operations. The inaugural event provided an opportunity for businesses to hear about the government’s priorities for the sector, discuss the barriers preventing wider adoption of drone technologies and identify areas where greater collaboration between industry and government could accelerate progress on regulatory reform.

Kamil, the DfT’s Future of Flight policy team lead, began the session by outlining the department’s work on drones, which is focused on championing the sector across government, supporting regulatory reform, building public trust and encouraging the adoption of drone technologies across public services. He highlighted the importance of working across government and with regulators to address the challenges facing the sector, recognising that the successful integration of drones into the regulation of UK airspace requires coordination across a wide range of policy areas.

One of the central themes of the discussion was the importance of cross-government collaboration. Kamil explained that the regulatory challenges facing the sector extend beyond aviation, with the Future of Flight team working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency , the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Division, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government  to ensure that other regulatory frameworks can be adapted to include drone operations. He also highlighted the importance of working with the Home Office to ensure the development of the sector aligns with the UK’s security requirements, including those relating to the risks posed by the unauthorised use of drones around prisons and other sensitive sites. This cross-government approach to regulating drones is particularly important given the range of applications for drone technologies, from medical deliveries to infrastructure inspection.

Reform of the regulatory framework governing drones and the role of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in implementing these regulations were also a major focus of the discussion. While the government has set out pathways towards routine BVLOS operations, attendees raised concerns about the practical implementation of existing regulations and the pace at which applications are being processed. Businesses highlighted significant delays in securing approvals under the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) framework, which is used by the CAA to assess the risks associated with more complex drone operations. Some attendees reported that applications can take nine to ten months to be authorised and argued that these delays create considerable uncertainty for operators and risk discouraging innovation and investment in the sector. Several participants also questioned whether the existing regulatory framework is being implemented in a proportionate way, suggesting that the challenges facing operators are not necessarily with the regulations themselves, but with how they are being applied.

The discussion explored the government’s growing focus on the use of drones in military contexts and what this means for the wider civilian and commercial drones sector. The government’s recent announcement of a new Ministry of Defence (MOD)-led drone innovation unit was raised during the session. Kamil acknowledged that while the unit is likely to lead to regulatory innovation for defence drones, further details of its operation are still be announced. Furthermore, given that it is being led by the MOD, it remains unclear whether these regulatory benefits will extend to commercial drone operations. More broadly, he recognised that the public’s association of drones with warfare can create challenges for building trust in civilian applications. He explained that the DfT is working to promote the benefits of drones in public spaces and demonstrate their potential to improve public services, while maintaining close engagement with the MOD.

While the growing focus on the use of drones in a military context presents opportunities for the sector, it is important that this does not overshadow the significant economic and societal benefits of civilian and commercial drone applications. The diversity of the sector is one of its greatest strengths, but it can also make communicating a unified message to government, regulators and parliamentarians challenging. The UK Drones Alliance will seek to address this by bringing together businesses from across the sector to develop shared priorities and ensure that the industry’s collective voice is heard and respected in the policymaking process. By highlighting the breadth of civilian, commercial and defence applications, the Alliance will seek to ensure that the whole sector is supported by the government and that future regulatory reform benefits the entire drones sector.

The inaugural meeting demonstrated the importance of bringing businesses together to identify common challenges and develop a coordinated approach to engaging with policymakers and regulators. If you would like to get involved with the UK Drones Alliance, please get in touch with GK Strategy and the UK Drones Alliance via jacob.walsh@gkstrategy.com.