10 Oct CAA Releases Plan for Routine BVLOS Operations by 2027

It is often assumed that scaling Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations is a very long-term goal. However, the UK CAA (like the US FAA and other world-leading aviation regulators) is currently establishing a regulatory pathway for scaled BVLOS operations in the UK by 2027.

The ‘Four Pillars’

The basis for the CAA’s pathway is the ‘four pillars’. These are four primary areas of work that will overcome existing regulatory challenges. By establishing key mechanisms to manage each of these areas, the CAA can gradually open up the regulatory landscape:

1. Pilot Competence: a simpler, more standardised mechanism to demonstrate the competence of pilots.

2. Flightworthiness: a formal, nationally recognised mechanism to demonstrate the robustness of their aircraft.

3. Risk Assessment: a more suitable mechanism to assess and mitigate risk.

4. Airspace: a mechanism to integrate BVLOS operations into the UK’s busy and compact airspace. 

This opening-up will enable authorised operators to fly BVLOS in a scaled, sustainable way, maintaining safety whilst accelerating progress.

Laying out a Roadmap

The CAA has already begun to establish some of these mechanisms. On 24th September, the CAA released a roadmap to routine BVLOS operations in the UK by 2027 – starting with the Atypical Air Environment (AAE) policy, and risk assessment frameworks such as Specific Operations Risk Assessments (SORA),

These regulatory advances show the ‘four pillars’ in action; they offer a mechanism to assess and mitigate risk smoothly and regularly, and effectively manage airspace. The transition from early stages to full-scale deployment will take time, but with pathways in place, the journey is already well underway. 

sees.ai and the ‘Four Pillars’

sees.ai works with these principles every day, as we build a safety-first system to enable scaled BVLOS flight. Currently, sees.ai holds the most advanced BVLOS permission ever awarded by the CAA – a recognition of our ability to balance innovation and safety. 

Our regular grid inspection flights on select sections of live power line provide the CAA with early safety evidence for UK AAE activity. By flying routinely in these less-populated areas, we demonstrate how this category of airspace can safely integrate drones into the UK’s skies, and unlock the value of BVLOS flight for UK infrastructure.