Legislation – The Unmanned Aircraft (Offences and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025

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Introduction

Part 1
Introductory

1 Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation

Part 2
Unmanned Aircraft Offences

2 Contravention of the UK Implementing Regulation – UAS operator

3 Contravention of the UK Implementing Regulation – remote pilot

4 Registration of certified unmanned aircraft

5 Penalties

6 Liability of directors etc. where offence committed by body corporate

7 Offence due to cause not avoidable by reasonable care

8 Fixed penalty offences

Part 3
Consequential Amendments

9 Amendment of the Police Act 1997

10 Amendment of the Air Navigation Order 2016

11 Amendment of the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021

SCHEDULES

Schedule 1 Amendment of the Police Act 1997

Schedule 2 Amendment of the Air Navigation Order 2016

Schedule 3 Amendment of Schedule 8 to the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021

Schedule 4 Amendment of Schedule 9 to the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021

Signature

Explanatory note

Part 1Introductory

Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Unmanned Aircraft (Offences and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025.

(2)

These Regulations come into force on—

(a)

1st January 2026, or

(b)

if later, the day after the day on which they are made.

(3)

These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(4)

In these Regulations—

“LUC” refers to a light UAS operator certificate, which means a certificate issued to a UAS operator by the Civil Aviation Authority under point UAS.LUC.050 of Part C of the Annex to the UK Implementing Regulation3;
“maximum take-off mass” means the maximum mass, including payload and fuel, as defined by the manufacturer or the builder, at which an unmanned aircraft4 can be operated;

“remote pilot” means an individual responsible for safely conducting the flight of an unmanned aircraft by operating its flight controls, either manually or, when the unmanned aircraft flies automatically, by monitoring its course and remaining able to intervene and change the course at any time;

“UAS” refers to an unmanned aircraft system, and means an unmanned aircraft and the equipment to control it remotely;

“UAS operator” means any person operating or intending to operate one or more UAS.

3

Paragraph 4 of Schedule 11 to the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 (c. 12) provides that “UK Implementing Regulation” means Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 of 24 May 2019 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft (EUR 2019/947).

4

Section 18 of the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 (c. 12) provides that “unmanned aircraft” means any aircraft operating or designed to operate autonomously or to be piloted remotely without a pilot on board.