RPAS regulation takes off in the EU – The Riga Declaration and the EASA Concept of Operations for Drones

Regulation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), commonly known as “drones”, received a boost in the EU after the issuance of the Riga Declaration, which laid down policy aims on RPAS regulation. A few days later, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced the Concept of Operations on Drones.

EASA permits use of PEDs throughout the flight

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced that it permits the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs), such as laptops, palmtops, cell phones etc. on board the aircraft throughout the flight, provided that the aircraft have been certified as ‘PED tolerant’.

UK CAA releases report on regulation of suborbital flights

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the United Kingdom (UK) has released an extensive report on the regulation of suborbital flights, which forms part of the country's efforts to attract operations of suborbital vehicles to its territory.  The report contains a thorough analysis of the regulatory landscape and makes very interesting recommendations. Since spaceflight operations are expected to start in 2018, the report recommends that the short-term regulatory framework should be in place at least one year before.

EU sets new rules on airport safety

On 6 March 2014 entered into force Regulation (EU) No 139/2014 on certification and safety oversight of EU aerodromes. The Regulation implements the provisions of the Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 (EASA Basic Regulation) and the relevant ICAO rules (mainly Annex 14).