EASA Proposes 'U-space Light' Category in New Drone Airspace Management Amendment

EASA Proposes 'U-space Light' Category in New Drone Airspace Management Amendment

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published a Notice of Proposed Amendment — NPA 2026-103 ADDENDUM to NPA 2026-103 (A) — pursuant to Article 6 of Management Board Decision 01-2022, with the aim of revising the current regulatory framework for U-space airspace management.

The Core Proposal: A New 'U-space Light' Category

The most significant element of the amendment is the proposed introduction of a new 'U-space light' category.

As the proposal states: "In practice, to facilitate the designation of U-space airspace and enable large-scale beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, this proposal recommends that member states may opt to apply an initial, mandatory subset of U-space services in situations where UAS traffic density does not yet require strategic conflict resolution in space and time."

The proposal adds that strict operational conditions and airspace restrictions must be established to maintain a safety level equivalent to U-space airspace with the full set of four mandatory services. Accordingly, the designation of 'U-space airspace level 1' by member states would be limited to specific scenarios, including:

• Airspace designated below VFR minima
• Outside controlled airspace
• Non-urban environments, excluding complex settings such as ports

On risk mitigation, the proposal explains: "The risk introduced by replacing pre-flight strategic conflict resolution with tactical conflict resolution shall be mitigated by reducing the likelihood of encounters with other aircraft and by providing drone operators with sufficient reaction time — for example, by establishing a sufficiently large well-clear volume around drone flight operations."

Policy Context: Scaling BVLOS Across the EU

In the preamble to the amendment, EASA states that the agency is committed to revising U-space and UAS regulations with the objective of establishing conditions that simplify the four mandatory U-space service obligations, and of introducing effective solutions to enable BVLOS operations to be deployed rapidly and at scale across all EU member states.

According to an EASA survey covering 11 member states, of the 2,486 operational authorisations active during the survey period, 496 involved BVLOS flights. Of those BVLOS authorisations, 89 were assessed as commercially viable. Such operations are currently concentrated primarily in Germany and Norway, both of which hold relative advantages in specific operational environments.

Stakeholder Consultation and Feedback Timeline

The draft amendment has been circulated for comment to the following stakeholders:

• Civil and commercial UAS operators
• National Aviation Authorities (NAAs)
• Remote pilots
• UAS manufacturers
• Other airspace users (manned aviation)
• Air Traffic Management / Air Navigation Service (ATM/ANS) providers
• U-space Service Providers (USSPs)
• Common Information Service (CIS) providers

The deadline for feedback is 12 July 2026. All responses received will be discussed at an online thematic consultation workshop on 15 July 2026.

Unmanned Airspace will publish a more in-depth analysis of the amendment and industry reactions later this week.

(Image: Shutterstock)

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