Morning, Thursday, 23rd April 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for the UK drone sector. The agenda focuses on regulatory and operational arrangements needed to support innovation, growth, and the use of drones in a wider range of services and sectors across the economy.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss practical priorities and regulatory enablers for routine operations at scale. This includes approaches to streamlining operational approvals and oversight, aligning airspace modernisation and drone integration, and establishing practical, proportionate requirements to support safety, security, and compliance.
The discussion takes place as the CAA moves from its 2025 policy recommendations on reforming UAS regulation into the delivery phase, including implementation of the Future of Flight: BVLOS Roadmap milestones through to 2027 and the recent introduction of UK class marks and Remote ID requirements.
Delegates will consider what the next phase of implementation is likely to mean for operators of different sizes and use-cases, with the CAA’s Review of UK UAS Regulation consultation reply document setting out recommended changes to operational categories, education and competence requirements, and UK-specific product standards and class marking.
Discussion is also expected on practical steps needed to move from trials to routine integrated BVLOS operations as CAA-backed activity progresses through to 2027, including how standards, approvals and supporting services may need to develop to give confidence to delivery bodies, service providers, investors and end users.
Operational standards
Sessions will assess approaches set out by the CAA for progressing from temporarily-reserved airspace towards more integrated operations, including the use of defined BVLOS operational environments as part of a pathway to routine integration. Areas for discussion include approvals and compliance with safety standards under the UK-Specific Operations Risk Assessment methodology, the respective roles and responsibilities of operators, service providers and airspace managers, and practical options for enabling smaller companies to participate as the market develops.
Further discussion is expected on what will be needed to support operations at scale, including technical and infrastructure dependencies, and expectations around low-altitude mapping, corridor concepts and connectivity to support safe, predictable delivery.
Regulatory reform
Attendees will consider the way forward for approval pathways and oversight arrangements in terms of their impact on operators of different sizes as regulatory reform is implemented.
Looking at the Review of UK Unmanned Aircraft Systems Regulations and regulatory changes in January 2026 - including requirements for Flyer ID and Remote ID functionality - discussion will assess implications for operational categories, operator competence and security requirements, as well as questions around compliance and interoperability with manned aviation and emerging unmanned traffic management services.
Practical routes to implementation will be considered, looking at how approaches can be proportionate for operators while remaining practical for monitoring and enforcement, including next steps for incident response and compliance monitoring, as well as cross-border considerations.
Accountability, liability & public trust
The agenda will bring out latest thinking on liability and accountability where incidents involve system failures or inconsistent airspace data, as well as wider issues arising from technical integration. We expect discussion to reflect issues raised in the Law Commission’s consultation on aviation autonomy, including whether statutory requirements may be needed for UTM service providers as routine operations expand.
Allocation of responsibilities will be considered - including operators, manufacturers, software providers, and UTM/CIS and air navigation service providers - alongside implications for the development of insurance, investigations and enforcement frameworks as autonomy increases. Attendees will also assess how proposals such as NATS’ digital UK-wide data platform OpenAir and the CAA’s planned UK Airspace Design Service may affect system-wide information management, data standards and low-altitude airspace design. Areas for discussion include integration with manned aviation and priorities for data integrity, transparency and cyber resilience.
Approaches for strengthening community engagement and public confidence in routine operations will be considered, including transparency around data use, privacy, surveillance and noise across different operating environments.
Market access, investment & international frameworks
Discussion will draw on findings from the Future Flight Challenge evaluation, including lessons for scaling up viable business models, building regional delivery capacity and the role of public sector procurement in supporting commercial deployment. Delegates will examine barriers to growth, including access to investment and the potential impact of funding announced by Innovate UK and the Department for Transport in September 2025 under the Future Flight Programme.
Further sessions discuss ways forward for insurance, skills and supply chain development, looking at how regulation can best support innovation and R&D based in the UK. Attendees will consider next steps in developing regional testbeds, alongside priorities for strengthening the UK’s international positioning.
Areas for discussion include benchmarking progress compared with EU, US and Asia-Pacific, options for harmonisation or bilateral alignment, as well as issues for interoperability with manned aviation and future UTM services, including EU U-space frameworks. Discussion will also consider factors influencing decisions by UK operators and innovators on whether to base activity and investment in the UK or elsewhere.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Business and Trade; Ministry of Defence; Defence Science and Technology Laboratory; Government Legal Department; and Military Aviation Authority.
