Recommendations would clarify laws for drones, remotely piloted aircraft and future pilotless passenger vehicles while maintaining aviation safety
The Law Commission has published a series of recommendations aimed at preparing UK aviation law for the increased use of remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft, including drones and future pilotless passenger vehicles.
In its final report on aviation autonomy, the Commission said existing legal frameworks governing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) require clarification and reform to ensure new technologies can operate safely alongside conventional aviation.
The recommendations form part of a wider review commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Department for Transport into how the law should respond to rapidly advancing autonomous flight technology.
Among the proposals are calls for clearer legal definitions and harmonised terminology across aviation legislation, legislative reform to support traffic management services for uncrewed aircraft, and changes to safeguard passengers where aircraft may operate without a pilot or cabin crew onboard.
The report also recommends reallocating certain pilot responsibilities in fully autonomous operations and updating criminal offences, including modernising laws relating to hijacking, to reflect the emergence of autonomous aviation systems.
Professor Alison Young, Commissioner for Public Law, said: “Aviation is changing rapidly, and the law must keep pace.” She added: “Our recommendations ensure a clear, principled framework that protects the public, upholds accountability, and gives industry the legal certainty it needs to invest and innovate safely.”
The Law Commission said some reforms are required immediately or in the near future, while others are intended to support longer-term developments in autonomous aviation.
The review follows two consultation papers published in 2024 and 2025 examining the regulation of drones, vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOLs), and air traffic management systems for uncrewed aircraft.
The Commission noted that increased automation could bring significant economic and operational benefits, but said the legal framework must remain sufficiently robust to maintain aviation safety standards while allowing innovation to develop.
Giancarlo Buono, Group Director Safety & Airspace Regulation at the CAA, welcomed the publication of the report and said aviation technology was undergoing “a revolution”.
He said the regulator was working with government and industry to ensure laws and regulations reflect “the new opportunities and challenges of remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft”.
The Government will now consider the Commission’s recommendations before deciding whether legislative reform should be introduced.