Aviation
In the past, the use of unmanned
aerial systems (UAS) was primarily restricted to military applications,
the market has evolved and UAS use has become highly relevant for governments
and private entities within the civil sector.
According to Companies and Markets.com,
there are currently around 500 UASmanufactures globally, of which approximately a third
are based in Europe hosts approximately one third. According to a study on
Remotely Piloted Aviation Systems carried out by the European Commission, the
industry is expected to create up to 150,000 European jobs by 2050.
The fact that over 1,000 operators have been granted
operating licenses in Europe to date may be indicative of the level of
commercial interest in this sector. Just by way of illustration, For example,
there were around 86 approved operators in France as of December, 2012.
This has since increased to 431 by February, 2014.
Global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Market Economic assessment carried out by the EC
also indicates that in the next 10 years civil UAS could be worth 10 per cent of the world’s
aviation market amounting to €15 billion per year. This transition is predicted
to have a significant impact on aviation within Europe and, because of this, it
should not be taken lightly.
The problem remains, however, that there are lacunae
in the current EU law and that there is currently no overarching EU law
regulating UAS. In this context, the UK Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA) v Robert Knowles case, heard earlier this year, is highly relevant. This
case resulted in the first UK conviction for illegal use of aUAS. Its conclusions therefore can be used as a tool to
help construct a comprehensive set of rules to regulate the law in the EU.
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