Policy paper

Advancing airborne autonomy: use of commercial drones in the UK

Ambition statement and vision for commercial drones, created jointly by government and the sector, outlining the 2030 potential, current use cases and support and enablers for the future.

• From: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Department for Transport, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
• Published: 18 July 2022

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Documents

Advancing airborne autonomy: commercial drones saving money and saving lives in the UK

PDF, 7.26 MB, 52 pages

Details

This ambition statement outlines how government and the drone sector will work together to achieve a vision for commercial drones will be commonplace in the UK by 2030, in a way that benefits the economy and wider society, delivering new capabilities, boosting productivity, and reducing emissions and risk to life, while sharing airspace equitably and safely with other users.

The statement outlines the huge potential for drones, which PWC recently estimated could be worth £45 billion to the UK economy by 2030: see Skies without Limits 2.0. It sets out a range of examples of how drones are already being effectively deployed and outlines how key enablers in technology, regulation, funding, business support and public perception will be realised. The document targets potential users of commercial drone solutions and aims to inspire new investment into the sector and more widespread end-user uptake of UK commercial drone capabilities.

The statement aligns with wider future of flight and transport ambitions, benefiting from increased electrification and automation. It does not forecast their potential to carry passengers or consider counter-drone technologies.

Note: Drones are often called UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicles or RPAS – remotely piloted aerial systems.

Published 18 July 2022