If UAS operating scenarios cannot be carried out in the “Open Category”, an application must be submitted to the competent authority for approval in accordance with the “Specific Category” guidelines. This is required by European regulations. For companies that want to offer services in different areas of operation, this can mean an enormous amount of bureaucracy. Because even if they always fly the same mission, the relevant permits have generally been issued on a location-specific basis up to now. The result: a lot of paperwork and time-consuming administrative work for UAS operators and licensing authorities.
In order to make things easier for everyone involved, the German Federal Aviation Authority (LBA) has now significantly lowered the hurdles for granting a generic, i.e. location-independent, operating license. Not least because the excellent safety record in the “affected” risk class up to SAIL II allows this. In this way, companies based in the area of responsibility of the Federal Aviation Office are given the opportunity to start the desired UAS operation at new locations after receiving a generic operating license without having to apply for an individual license for the specific area of operation beforehand.
UAV DACH explicitly welcomes the approach taken by the LBA, together with the UAS industry, to create additional freedoms for the responsible use of drones and to facilitate the implementation of commercial UAS operations. The Unmanned Aviation Association is also happy to accompany and support other licensing authorities in Europe on this path.