ERA is pleased to welcome the news of new EU-wide rules on drones published on 11 June 2019.

ERA will always support an initiative that improves safety of operations and the threat from drones has, for several years now, been one of the top five safety concerns and main activities for the association.

With drone-related incidents around airports having continued to rise in recent years, ERA believes the introduction of new common regulations will go a long way in helping drone operators, whether professional or recreational, to have a clear understanding of what is and what is not allowed.

Equally, it is positive that the regulations – the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 – will support the registration and therefore identification of drones, helping to prevent situations similar to that at London Gatwick airport in December 2018 and ultimately mitigate the risk of safety and security incidents.

Montserrat Barriga, Director General, ERA, says: “ERA has openly called for more robust and harmonised EU-wide safety regulations in the past and this new common set of rules is a great step forward for Europe in ensuring safe and secure skies for all member states. As the first region in the world to have a comprehensive set of rules, we can be proud of the unity and strength this represents.”

* Founded in 1980, ERA is a non-profit trade association representing 51 airlines and 145 companies involved in European air transport and is the only association representing the entire spectrum of companies involved in European aviation. The association promotes the interests of European airlines by lobbying the European Commission and other European regulatory bodies on policy matters, promoting the social and economic importance of air transport and its environmental commitments.