The current process for use of airspace by BVLOS drone logistics services, particularly within developed countries with complex and/or congested legacy airspace systems, involves drone operators applying to the relevant National Aviation Authority (NAA) for the establishment of a Segregated Airspace Volume (SAV), which reserves a specified volume of airspace, usually on a temporary basis, for the exclusive use of the drone operator.
While excluding all other air traffic mitigates the risk of in-flight collisions, SAVs are not a scalable solution and can cause considerable inconvenience for other airspace users, requiring re-routes and creating congested ‘choke points’ as aircraft are funnelled around them.
A global response to these issues has emerged in the form of the UAV Traffic Management (UTM) concept. This overarching term has been adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to describe services that facilitate the harmonious integration of drones alongside crewed aircraft within shared airspace, eliminating the need for SAVs. Broadly, the UTM concept involves designated blocks of low-level airspace (e.g., corridor(s) of airspace), managed by UTM service providers, in which all traffic is coordinated, drone operators and other airspace users are aware of each other’s locations, and conflict detection and resolution are provided. UTM is seen as a key step in enabling the routine BVLOS operations necessary to realise the full potential of commercial drone logistics operations, and therefore UTM initiatives are being developed and trialled in many regions around the world.
To understand stakeholder concerns and issues regarding the integration of drones in shared airspace, the E-Drone project ran two UK national workshops involving: (i) the General Aviation (GA) community (i.e., non-commercial, sports and leisure airspace users), who are extensive users of uncontrolled airspace, where commercial drone operations mainly take place; and (ii) the drone industry, including both commercial drone operators and other attendant organisations (e.g., regulators, industry associations, manufacturers, R&D institutions).
Key issues emanating from the dialogue and discussion during the workshops were that: successful implementation of shared airspace will rely on support from the wider aviation community; shared airspace would only be viable if aircraft were fitted with dependable Detect-And-Avoid systems for in-flight de-confliction through the use of onboard Electronic Conspicuity devices; the costs burden should not fall on GA airspace users; and access to airspace should be equitable and safe for all users. In general, workshop participants were of the view that policies aimed at progressing the implementation of shared airspace should be equitable and inclusive, highlighting the importance of the involvement of all stakeholders in co-development of shared airspace solutions.
To facilitate the implementation of shared airspace, the E-Drone project has also developed a 4D airspace booking system that strategically deconflicts planned trajectories in a discretised model of the airspace, where conflicts are dealt with via a simple first-come-first-served principle, with all traffic assumed to be of equal importance. This booking system was trialled at the Llanbedr testing ground in North Wales.
Grote M, Pilko A, Scanlan J, Cherrett T, Dickinson J, Smith A, Oakey A and Marsden G (2021) ‘Pathways to Unsegregated Sharing of Airspace: Views of the Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Industry’, Drones, 5(4), 150.
https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5040150
Grote M, Pilko A, Scanlan J, Cherrett T, Dickinson J, Smith A, Oakey A and Marsden G (2022) ‘Sharing airspace with Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): Views of the General Aviation (GA) community’, Journal of Air Transport Management, 102, 102218.