Air traffic Confederation wants to regulate airspace for civilian drones
The Federal Council wants to regulate Swiss airspace for drones. The aim is to ensure the safe integration of drones into air traffic, as announced by the national government.
20.12.2024, 11:31
SDA
The introduction of a so-called U-space airspace in areas with increased air traffic is central to this, it added on Friday. A U-Space airspace consists of a collection of digital and automated services.
Drone pilots can use it to exchange information and data with each other and with other airspace users. According to the federal government, the first Swiss U-Space airspace is planned for the Zurich area. In addition, framework conditions are to be created by 2030 so that all airspace users are visible. To this end, they must be equipped with internationally compatible position reporting systems, it added.
Over 90,000 drone pilots
According to the Confederation, drones do not currently use any specific aviation infrastructure. However, this will change as soon as drones become larger and fly the same route several times, for example to transport people or goods in air cabs. When that time comes, regulatory adjustments will have to be made to spatial planning for the necessary infrastructure, the report continued.
Drone pilots have been required to register in an official register since 2023. There is a training and examination requirement. Flight restriction areas protect sensitive areas and infrastructure facilities.
There are currently over 90,000 registered drone pilots in Switzerland - and the number is rising. According to the federal government, drones have great social and economic potential. Swiss universities such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), as well as start-ups, are among the world leaders in research and development in the fields of drones and robotics.
