RPAS In Australian Skies 2026

Introduction

Thank you to Andrew and the team at AAUS for inviting me to speak again at this important event. Even though it's only been 9 months since we were last together, there have been plenty of exciting developments in your rapidly growing industry.

One of those has been the accreditation system introduced by AAUS and I would like to congratulate you on this positive move to strengthen industry capability, professionalism and trust.

Last June, I applauded the increase in scope, sophistication and importance to the economy of the drone sector and the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating.

Two months later, we celebrated a new milestone as we topped 40,000 remote pilot licences (RePL). That was up from about 16,500 in 2020 and less than 3,300 four years earlier.

The RePL increase was driven by year-on-year growth of 18 percent between 2023-24 and 2024-25 – a figure that speaks for itself when it comes to the industry's health. We now have more than 43,200 RePLs and almost 3,100 ReOCs (remotely piloted aircraft operator's certificate).

This means more operators wanting to do new and different things. We're moving as quickly as possible to deal with the advances in your sector while working with industry to adjust our approach, timeframes and priorities to reflect your needs without compromising safety.

This morning I was going to provide an update on some of our priorities and highlight areas where we'll be seeking your views in coming weeks.

Operations over and near people

We know that for many of you, being able to operate over and near people is vital – we have seen a large increase in approvals since we introduced new guidance in 2024 through a 'Temporary Management Instruction' [TMI].

There are obvious risks with flying over or near people and our aim has always been to maximise safety for all involved.

The introduction of the 2024 guidance was the first step to streamline operations in this area. It reduced the burden on industry and CASA when it came to applying for and assessing these applications.

Industry feedback and an internal post implementation review has shown us we can streamline the various assessment and approval pathways and more clearly define how applicants should apply for these operations. 

We've been engaging with members from industry through a technical working group established under our Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) to look at how the current OONP [operations over or near people] process has been practically implemented. This brought valuable real-world expertise and insights to these discussions.

I expect to receive the final advice from the ASAP shortly, and we will then be seeking feedback on a draft Advisory Circular (AC) in the coming weeks.

As with the current TMI, the AC will not be mandatory. 

Our aim is to provide clear information to applicants on the approval pathways and what applicants need to do when they make an application

Anyone following the guidance in the current TMI can continue to do so.

It's also important to emphasise that it won't limit the kinds of operations we will consider, so if what you propose to do doesn't neatly fit, you'll still be able to work with us – it will just take a little longer. 

SORA 2.5

I'm pleased to announce that we are progressing the adoption of the remaining SORA [specific operations risk assessment] 2.5 elements.

Our aim is to provide industry with more clarity and direction on using an Australian version of SORA 2.5, which we've dubbed AusSORA, that is more flexible than the international approach because it takes into account the Australian environment and our more dispersed population.

Later this week, we'll commence consultation on a draft Advisory Circular setting out this new approach, replacing the arrangements that were implemented in 2024. As with the consultation on draft AC on the operations over or near people, this will be your opportunity to provide feedback and contribute to this work before implementation.

We know the next step is higher-risk operations above Specific Assurance and Integrity Level 2 (better known as SAIL 2). These operations are more complex or higher risk than other operations, and generally need more evidence, safety measures and regulatory oversight.

We've just granted our first SAIL III approval to an Australian company to operate its 6-metre wingspan powered-lift aircraft and we're working through other SAIL III and IV applications. Collaboration will be key here as we seek feedback on acceptable means of compliance at these higher risk levels.

We are also continuing our support for JARUS [Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems] and contributing to the development of future SORA versions, including the next version aimed at improving the air risk assessment model.

While SORA supports our risk assessment methodology, we're retaining the flexibility to adapt and incorporate future, alternate risk assessment methods where appropriate.

We want to be at the forefront of developments so that we can be agile and introduce updates that most benefit industry.

We can't do this alone and your involvement will be essential.

If you're interested in more detail about SORA 2.5 or SAIL [safety assurance and integrity level] approvals, our manager for Airworthiness Emerging Technologies, David Peterson, will be talking to this topic in more depth in the session after lunch.

Drones over the high seas

Australia has a track record of pushing boundaries when it comes to applying technology, but our aim is always to do it in an ethical and lawful way.

As Greg [Cox First Assistant Secretary, Commonwealth Infrastructure Projects Division, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts] flagged earlier, we're in the final stages of tackling the vexed issue of drones over the high seas in a way that does not compromise Australia's international legal obligations or our commitment to an international rules-based aviation order.

Our world-leading proposal received support at last year's International Civil Aviation Organisation Assembly (ICAO) and our efforts are being keenly watched by our fellow national aviation authorities.

The central problem is that international rules set out in the Chicago Convention were drafted in the middle of last century and in some cases replicated rules formulated after World War I. Outside Australian territory, we have no option but to follow them.

ICAO is moving to address the issue but this will take time.

Meanwhile, there is growing demand for drones in certain offshore uses such as oil rig inspections, fishing, marine research, offshore surveillance and environmental regulation.

At last year's ICAO Assembly, there was strong support for the proposed approach we presented which would allow certain kinds of RPAS operations to be lawfully conducted over the high seas today, while we wait for ICAO to update international standards.

We're aiming to publish guidelines on how we believe those international obligations can be met – which will focus on ensuring operators have the required capability and undertake an appropriate risk assessment in much the same way they do in Australian territory.

The requirements include:

• displaying an Australian nationality and registration mark
• aircraft lighting
• carriage of documents and journey logs in an appropriate form
• and the most challenging – holding valid certificates of airworthiness, which will most likely mean an experimental certificate (bringing with it implications on the type of activities that can be conducted).

We think that this is a pragmatic solution but have been engaging with some industry representatives to determine if these requirements pose any barriers to implementation.

So far, we don't see any insurmountable or daunting barriers that cannot be met by today's drones – albeit with some creative means of meeting compliance.

Broad area BVLOS

October 2025 saw the start of our broad area beyond visual line of sight [BVLOS] trial, and we've been pleased with a growing uptake that saw us complete 57 % more applications in 2025 than in 2024.

For those unaware of this trial, it lets operators who meet certain criteria (including an assessment of key personnel) assess their own operational areas for BVLOS operations. The result is greater flexibility and a reduced need to apply to CASA for each new proposed operating area.

As of Monday, the trial covered more than half a million hectares across 19 broad operating areas involving 8 organisations. Plus, we have more than 15 other operators in the pipeline.

These operations are supporting essential services and regional industries in many different ways. Some operators are running remote operating centres using drone-in-a-box systems, with pilots based in Sydney flying aircraft in Western Australia. Other operators are inspecting powerline infrastructure and conducting quantity surveying on mine sites.

This is a great example of where we have been able to go through the regulatory cycle and trial proposals before implementing a more permanent regime.

This approach is a scalable and proportionate model that saves industry and CASA time and money while maintaining acceptable safety standards.

We'll be seeking feedback from current approval holders and reviewing the data against our safety objectives. We'll provide regular updates to industry as our review progresses.

Please go to our website or check in with the CASA officers at the conference for more information.

Service delivery

We acknowledge that our current wait times are frustrating.

We are now publishing on our website the current timeframes for processing regulatory services, but to be clear these are not our targets, they are what we are doing at the moment. We're working hard to reduce time frames against a backdrop of both increasingly complex operations and significantly higher demand for approvals.

To give you a sense of the challenge, since mid-2022 we've seen the number of ReOCs rise by more than 700 and we now have over 3000 approved operators. For context, there are 615 air operator certificate holders providing conventional aviation services such as air transport in Australia.

And we're processing more than 130 RPAS applications a month covering regulatory assessments ranging from EVLOS [extended visual line of sight] and area approvals to significant changes to ReOCs.

I've already noted the potential benefits to both CASA and industry of the broad area BVLOS trial and, although we are yet to see the full effects of this initiative, this streamlining of now well understood risk activities is something we can apply in a wider context.

We expect the same level of success for our initiative streamlining the way RePL training organisations add medium RPAs for RePL licensing courses.

These changes now allow chief RePL instructors to apply for a generic rating, instead of having to do a flight test with CASA for every model of medium drone they fly.

Research and development is another area where we've had feedback that CASA could provide more guidance on how existing mechanisms can be used to reduce the regulatory services timeframe. We sought views on a discussion paper last year and are working through next steps now.

Similarly, we've been supporting government agencies during recent extreme weather and fire events to help them to deploy drones quickly and easily to support their operations, while ensuring safety.

This allows emergency services to operate in certain situations without the need to come to us for a specific approval. For example, allowing them to fly, over or near people, beyond visual line of sight, at night or closer to people and property.

Other projects

When you think emergency services you usually think of the great outdoors but sometimes that's not the case.

That's why we extended indoor BVLOS operations to allow access to a wider range of emergency services. This means potentially dangerous situations, such as indoor recovery operations after a natural disaster, can be scoped without putting responders at risk.

We've also been working with NSW Police on a trial that is allowing police to patrol a rural town using drones which are controlled by pilots based at an airport in a major city, providing significant support for local operations.

We support research and testing of large RPA (weighing more than 150kg) through experimental certificates; however, we also recognise their business potential and we're working to develop a pathway for their commercial use.

We are close to providing a general approval for operations above 400 ft when operating in low-risk areas, something that will benefit operations over open cut mines, infrastructure inspections or people involved in rescue operations near a cliff face.

We will also be conducting a trial this year allowing RePL holders to fly using assisted visual line of sight using a spotter without the need for a separate CASA approval.

The trial also aims to support first-person view flying, with the aim of expanding it to include accredited and recreational drone users that hold a remote pilot licence.

Finally, later this year, we will be turning to the next phase of initiatives in our regulatory roadmap and longer term regulatory reforms.

Plain speaking and education

Many of you will know of Occam's Razor, the famous principle that effectively says the simplest explanation is usually the right one.

This is something we've been striving to achieve through our communications and particularly, through our plain English guides.

Our CASR Part 101 Plain English Guide for Micro and Excluded RPA Operations has been available since 2020 but work on the wider Part 101 guide for ReOC and RePL holders is still underway.

Our safety campaign continues in the recreational sector, and we continue to reach a wide audience of drone flyers through our Know Your Drone campaign.

Since mid-December, we've had millions of online views of our video content, while the website has attracted more than 77,000 people seeking practical advice about the rules and apps. We're also working with more than 50 Australian retail partners to point users in the right direction.

There is still more that needs to be done – I was recently reminded about the importance of targeting our communications to the audience. We can't assume that language we use for traditional aviation operators works for all of you.

We also have a role in helping others external to CASA (for example state and territory and local governments) understand what is and is not allowed.

Advanced air mobility

Advanced air mobility – or AAM – may sometimes seem like a mirage that's perennially on the horizon but I believe the time is nigh.

Dubai is scheduled to launch a fully functioning electric vertical take-off and landing [eVTOL] air taxi service this year and 4 dedicated vertiports are already being built. Several US cities have also been testing eVTOLs.

It won't be long before they arrive in Australia.

We have a project to develop licensing rules for piloted, passenger-carrying AAM flights and we're developing a regulatory framework to support the safe design and operation of vertiports in Australia.

Certification of a home-grown eVTOL continues and we are working closely with the members of the National Aviation Authorities Network to give effect to the Network's Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Type Certification.

Integrating drones and AAM into Australian airspace is another important project – we are working closely with Airservices and the Department of Infrastructure on shared airspace and we've been a strong supporter of the federal government's campaign to promote the use of ADS-B.

Conclusion

Our goal is to be agile as possible and to simplify things as much as we can as we respond to the expectations and needs of RPAS operators and manufacturers as circumstances and technology change.

We've heard you loud and clear, and we want to enable as much innovation without compromising safety. We recognise that there is a complex mix of RPAS operators and we're spending time trying to work out what's a more nuanced approach to the various sub-sectors in the industry in much the same way that we have different risk sector profiles across traditional aviation operators.

This includes taking a more risk-based approach to regulation and even considering whether everyone who has currently has a ReOC genuinely needs one.

Anybody who watched the Winter Olympics saw the big role drones played in covering the event and we're gearing up for the use of even more advanced technology, as well as AAM, in the Brisbane games.

We're committed to working with industry, governments and our international counterparts to ensure Australia remains at the forefront of the robust expansion of drone operations.