The European chapter of the Airports Council International – ACI – has laid out the official position of the European airport community when it comes to UAV technology. 

ACI also wants safety and traffic management rules at EU level covering the use of drones.

The moves follow the European Aviation Safety Agency's – EASA's – proposed regulatory approach for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) called 'Concept of Operations for Drones: A risk based approach to regulation of unmanned aircraft' in 2015 and a proposed regulatory framework to divide drones in Europe into three categories: Open, Specific and Certified, each with its own appropriate level of safety.

 

“We are excited about potential opportunities that drone technology presents, in particular in relation to infrastructure maintenance and operational efficiency, passenger facilitation and more,” said Olivier Jankovec, director general ACI Europe.