04 Feb UTM Safety Assurance for Drones
The key difference between a standard Air Traffic Management (ATM) Airspace and an Unmanned Air Traffic Management (UTM) Airspace is that an ATM is already a long-established area with strict regulations and standards whereas the UTM Airspace is just maturing, however appears to be growing at a rapid pace.
Many of the principles of current ATM systems apply to UTM services, including safety and operational standards, flight planning, data sharing, separation requirements, and contingency planning. Taking this into account, both the aviation industry and drone users must adopt innovative technologies to ensure safe and fair access to the skies.
Uncrewed airspace is set to become more crowded than that of manned airspace, thanks to the rapid growth in drone use cases, from emergency or disaster intelligence to agriculture or industry monitoring, plus cargo dispatch. With all of these factors in mind, a culture of safety assurance needs to be implemented to ensure the safe integration of drones with civil airspace users.
Ultimately the common denominator for the integration of ATM and UTM is an information service that is common to both parties. A seamless exchange of information between all stakeholders, coupled with procedures that will ensure safe separation between drones and manned aircraft, can support the safety assurance culture that is currently being worked towards as an Insurance guarantee for all parties concerned.
Organizations on a global scale need to consider enhancing their technological capabilities so that they can introduce drones both safely and efficiently. In an airspace that continues to rapidly evolve with the advancement of drones, it is vital that safe integrated solutions are identified and harmoniously implemented.
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