Regulatory proposal and initiatives search

Consultation commenced - 21 July 2025

On 10 June 2025, we opened consultation on draft advisory circular (AC) 139.10 v1.0: Guidelines for vertical flight aircraft facilities at aerodromes designed for aeroplanes.

We intended the AC to provide guidance to aerodrome and aircraft operators in the planning, design and operation of facilities for both:

• helicopters
• vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable aircraft (VCA).

It applies to facilities located on an aerodrome that the designers of which may have only designed for fixed-wing aeroplanes.

Expansion of AAAT - 4 March 2025

We expanded the automated airspace authorisations trial (AAAT), a joint initiative by CASA and Airservices.

More than 1,400 automated flight authorisations have been processed. This has saved industry more than $1.2 million in application fees.

CASA continues to work with Airservices to expand authorisations to all civil-controlled aerodromes via FIMS at the end of 2025.

Future of automatic airspace authorisations - 21 July 2025

Since 2021, CASA and Airservices Australia have been trialling automated airspace authorisations (AAA) for commercial drone operations at select civil controlled aerodromes.

Later this year, the trial will transition to a permanent flight authorisation service delivered through Airservices' Flight Information Management System (FIMS) and participating third party service providers.

Continuing airworthiness - 21 July 2025

We are working to improve outcomes for maintenance permissions required under the current rules (e.g., CASR 101.260, 101.265, 101.020, and CAO 100.24).

We are focused on ensuring the competency of maintenance personnel and achieving practical outcomes that reflect the aircraft type and risk of operation.

We encourage industry to provide feedback to their TWG representatives.

Hydrogen symposium - 21 July 2025

We held a hydrogen and fuel cell airworthiness meeting on 26 February 2025. Industry shared key challenges and gaps in the regulations. This work supports regulations for AAM aircraft in Australia.

Hydrogen symposium - 4 April 2025

We held a hydrogen and fuel cell airworthiness meeting on February 26, 2025. Industry shared key challenges and gaps in the regulations. This supports regulations for AAM aircraft in Australia.

Roadmap for AAM Type Certification - 21 July 2025

The National Aviation Authorities Network released the Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification on 17 June 2025.

It aims to ensure safety, support collaboration, encourage innovation and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international borders.

Guidance under review - 21 July 2025

Draft guidance material is undergoing final review. We expect to publish it for consultation by end of August 2025.

TWG established - 4 March 2025

We are working with industry through a TWG, established by the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel, on medium category and broader RPAS licensing framework improvements.

TWG recommendation - 21 July 2025

The TWG has agreed on a recommendation and submitted it to the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel for review. We expect to start public consultation in September 2025.

Discussion paper delay - 4 April 2025

The release of the discussion paper is experiencing a slight delay for public release. Internal peer review of the paper is expected to close in mid-April, after which CASA will consider feedback and determine next steps for engagement.

Due to standard practices around election periods, we now expect to release the paper after the election.

Discussion paper update - 21 July 2025

We have scheduled the release of the discussion paper for July 2025. We completed an internal peer review and are preparing for public release through the consultation hub.

Supporting first responders - 4 March 2025

We continue to support State and Territory first responders, to develop procedure manuals for scenario-based operations used in emergencies or recovery efforts.

We may issue exemption instruments from certain regulations to enable the efficient and timely use of RPAS during emergencies.

SORA - New population density bands - 4 March 2025

We have reviewed and introduced new population density bands associated with the specific operations risk assessment (SORA) criteria, adapted for the Australian environment. These additional population bands give industry greater flexibility in the operational area by providing a more accurate ground risk classification and reducing unnecessary control measures.

The industry responded positively to our ‘Assessing Ground Risk for Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations’ webinar on 3 December 2024.

We are continuing to improve guidance and pathways for beyond visual line of sight operations and operations over and near people.

Investigating regulatory pathways - 4 April 2025

CASA continues to investigate regulatory pathways to enable commercial operations involving large RPAs without an airworthiness certificate. Communications with industry will be forthcoming once CASA has concluded its investigations.

TWG review - 4 March 2025

Work on AFAF is progressing. We conducted a review of the TWG tasking instructions and membership to ensure adequate representation of emerging technologies. We held a TWG meeting in November 2024 with new members in attendance.

Priority task - 4 March 2025

We have identified this as a priority task, and we have started working on it. We plan to deliver guidance progressively between now and Q2 2026.

Safety sector risk profile - 4 March 2025

In October 2024 we held a safety sector risk profile (SSRP) workshop, with a focus on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).

Find out more about SSRPs.

We published the RPAS SSRP on 12 December 2024. It focuses on:

• approved CASR Part 101 – Rules for all uncrewed aeronautical activities
• commercial operations up to and including BVLOS.

Know your drone - 4 March 2025

On 17 December 2024, we launched Phase 6 of our Know Your Drone campaign. It builds on the successes of earlier phases with practical tools and clear safety messages to help recreational drone operators fly safely and responsibly.

On 20 December 2024, we updated the Part 101 Plain English guide for Micro and Excluded RPA operations. This guide helps accredited drone operators flying micro and excluded category drones understand and follow the rules.