New regulation proposals put forward by committee will discuss strengthening drone usage in the UK and boost the country’s aviation sector.

A new report by the Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) will look in more detail how the UK could support the “rapid and safe commercialisation” of drones as the technology develops.

The independent committee, which identifies the regulation needed to foster technological innovation, has been providing the UK government with “impartial, expert advice” on the reform needed to support the rapid, safe introduction of regulation.

During the pandemic, drones have been used to deliver vital supplies as well as delivering mail to remote islands off the UK mainland.

This RHC report outlines the importance of strong regulation, and how such rules that favour innovation could “further unlock the benefits of drones”, which have the further potential to enable the delivery of medical supplies, aid search and rescue services or inspect infrastructure.

Commenting on the report, Professor Iain Gray, Chair of the Drones Industry Action Group, said: “This is an exciting time for the UK’s drone sector, as new technologies are solving real commercial problems and helping save lives.

“Government is making game-changing investments through the Future Flight Challenge, but to reap the full benefits, innovators need clear, forward-thinking, and responsive regulatory regimes to operate within.

“I would like to thank the RHC for their work producing this welcome report and look forward to government’s response in due course.”

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The report also expands on the opportunities for remote parts of the UK to act as a ‘testbed’ for the commercial deployment of drones. Currently deliveries to remote parts of Britain are in the experimentation stage – new regulation could help to pursue commercial operations, particularly for flights beyond the visual line of sight of the operator.

Additionally, the report highlights regulatory lessons that the UK can learn from engagement with countries including Singapore, Ireland, the US and Rwanda, “building on existing strengths in the wider aviation sector such as the skilled workforce and technology base”.

Several other regulatory challenges are outlined, as well as further discussion around ways to address them. The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) should ensure that the UK’s regulatory framework continues to boost new tech and business models, the report says.

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