On 26 July 2018 the UK Department for Transport issued a consultation entitled “Taking Flight: The Future of Drones in the UK”. This consultation ran until 17 September 2018 and had 5061 responses. It proposed policies for drone use and enforcement, namely:
- The minimum age requirement for operators for small unmanned aircraft
- Whether the 1 km flight restriction around protected aerodromes is sufficient
- A proposal to mandate and regulate a Flight Information and Notification System (FINS), or to just
regulate the FINS - The powers required by enforcement bodies in order to properly police drone use and penalise incorrect
use, including the possible use of fixed penalty notices - Counter drone technology system proposals.
The proposals built on the legislation made by the Benefits of Drones to the UK economy and The Air Navigation (Amendment) Order 2018.
The UK’s government’s response to this consultation – Taking Flight: The Future of Drones in the UK -Government Response – was published on 7 January 2019. It outlines the government’s decisions, including to:
- Legislate to give the police greater powers to tackle drone misuse, including the power to issue on the
spot fines - Better protect our airports by extending the area around airports and runways in which drones are
banned from being flown
The full 68-page Report can be accessed here.