The world’s first ISO approved drone standards have been announced by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)following a 12-month period of consultation with drone professionals, academics, businesses and the general public. 

The final publication of these new international safety and quality Standards for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are set to have a massive impact on the future growth of the drone industry throughout the world, and, are the product of several years of cooperation and rigorous interrogation from all sectors of society.

This important first step is part of a wider deliverable by ISO which is expected to trigger rapid acceleration in the use of air drones by organisations keen to reap the rewards of this transformative technology, against a background of reassurance on safety and security within a new framework of approved regulatory compliance.

Today’s announcement by ISO represents enormous progress in the standardisation of the global drone industry and is of particular significance in addressing the operational requirements of the more recognised and prevalent air drones, also known as UAS. The new Standards include protocols on Quality, Safety, Security and overall ‘etiquette’ for the operation of commercial air drones, which will help shape future regulation and legislation. It is the first in a series of emerging standards for air drones, with others due to address General Specifications, Product Manufacture and Maintenance, Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) and Testing Procedures. The Product Manufacture standards for UAS, which are due to be published next year, will combine with the operational standards already published to establish a full-airworthiness suite of standards for UAS. 

Commenting on today’s announcement, Robert Garbett Convenor of the ISO Working Group responsible for global air drone operational Standards, Chairman of the BSI Committee for UK Drone Standards and Founder of Drone Major Group, the world’s first global drone consultancy, said: “I am delighted that the operating Standards for air drones have now been approved and published.  This success follows four years of collaboration involving ISO, BSI and other national standards bodies from all over the world, reinforced through expert input from a wide range of industry and public sector stakeholders. The Standards will deliver a new confidence among investors in the safety, security and compliance of commercial drone operations, which together with the Product Manufacture and Maintenance Standards, is expected in turn to facilitate a massive expansion in the availability and use of drone technology in the years to come.”

“Drones are a transformative global phenomenon, offering an unprecedented economic opportunity for those businesses and countries with the foresight to embrace this technology. My own conversations with Government, businesses and other stakeholders have shown that the new Standards will be enthusiastically welcomed and will empower organisations to discover how they can use drone technology to enhance their competitive position, adding value and creating growth and jobs.”