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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664 of 22 April 2021 on a regulatory framework for the U-space (Text with EEA relevance)

Current text a fecha 2026-02-22

CHAPTER I

PRINCIPLES AND GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

This Regulation shall apply, within the UAS geographical zones established as U-space airspace by Member States, to:

(a) operators of UAS;

(b) U-space service providers;

This Regulation shall not apply to operations of UAS conducted:

(a) in the framework of model aircraft clubs and associations that have received an authorisation in accordance with Article 16 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947;

(b) in subcategory A1 of the ‘open’ category of operations with an unmanned aircraft that: (i) in the case of a privately built UAS, has a maximum take-off mass, including payload, of less than 250 g and a maximum operating speed of less than 19 m/s; or (ii) is marked as class C0 and complies with the requirements of that class, as defined in Part 1 of the Annex to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945; or

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 923/2012, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 apply. The following definitions also apply:

(1) ‘U-space airspace’ means a UAS geographical zone designated by Member States, where UAS operations are only allowed to take place with the support of U-space services;

(2) ‘U-space service’ means a service relying on digital services and automation of functions designed to support safe, secure and efficient access to U-space airspace for a large number of UAS;

(3) ‘airspace risk assessment’ means an evaluation of operational, safety and security risks that takes into account the required levels of safety performance as defined in the European Plan for Aviation Safety and the State Safety Programme referred to in Articles 6 and 7 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, the type, complexity and density of the traffic, the location, altitudes or heights and the airspace classification;

(4) ‘common information service’ means a service consisting in the dissemination of static and dynamic data to enable the provision of U-space services for the management of traffic of unmanned aircraft;

(5) ‘principal place of business’ means the head office or registered office of a U-space or common information service provider in the Member State within which the principal financial functions and operational control of the service provider are exercised;

(6) ‘dynamic airspace reconfiguration’ means the temporary modification of the U-space airspace in order to accommodate short-term changes in manned traffic demand, by adjusting the geographical limits of that U-space airspace.

CHAPTER II

U-SPACE AIRSPACE AND COMMON INFORMATION SERVICES

Article 3

U-space airspace

All UAS operations in the U-space airspace shall be subject to at least the following mandatory U-space services:

(a) the network identification service referred to in Article 8;

(b) the geo-awareness service referred to in Article 9;

(d) the traffic information service referred to in Article 11.

For each U-space airspace, based on the airspace risk assessment referred to in paragraph 1 and using the criteria set out in Annex I, Member States shall determine:

(a) the UAS capabilities and performance requirements;

(b) the U-space services performance requirements;

Member States shall give access to U-space service providers to the relevant data, if required for the application of this Regulation, as regards to:

(a) the UAS operators registration system, referred to in Article 14 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, of the Member State in which U-space service providers offer their services; and

(b) UAS operators registration systems of other Member States through the repository of information referred to in Article 74 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139.

Where Member States decide to establish a cross-border U-space airspace, they shall jointly decide on:

(a) the designation of the cross-border U-space airspace;

(b) the provision of cross-border U-space services;

Article 4

Dynamic airspace reconfiguration

Where a Member State designates a U-space airspace within controlled airspace, it shall ensure that the dynamic reconfiguration of the airspace within that U-space airspace as laid down in ATS.TR.237 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/665 amending Regulation (EU) 2017/373 is applied in order to make sure that manned aircraft which are provided with an air traffic control service and UAS remain segregated.

Article 5

Common information services

Member States shall make the following data available as part of the common information services of each U-space airspace:

(a) horizontal and vertical limits of the U-space airspace;

(b) the requirements determined pursuant to Article 3(4);

(c) a list of certified U-space service providers offering U-space services in the U-space airspace, with the following information: (i) identification and contact details of active U-space service providers; (ii) U-space services provided; (iii) certification limitation(s), if any;

(d) any adjacent U-space airspace (s);

(e) UAS geographical zones relevant to the U-space airspace and published by Member States in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947;

(f) static and dynamic airspace restrictions defined by the relevant authorities and permanently or temporarily limiting the volume of airspace within the U-space airspace where UAS operations can take place.

The providers of common information services shall ensure that the information referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3:

(a) is made available in accordance with Annex II;

(b) complies with the necessary data quality, latency and protection requirements established in Annex III.

CHAPTER III

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR UAS OPERATORS AND U-SPACE SERVICE PROVIDERS

Article 6

UAS operators

When operating in the U-space airspace, UAS operators shall:

(a) ensure that the UAS to be operated in the U-space airspace comply with the capabilities and performance requirements determined in accordance with Article 3(4)(a);

(b) ensure that during their operations, the necessary U-space services referred to in Article 3(2) and(3) are used, and their requirements complied with;

Article 7

U-space service providers

U-space service providers shall:

(a) exchange any information that is relevant for the safe provision of U-space services amongst themselves;

(b) adhere to a common secure interoperable open communication protocol and use the latest information made available in accordance with Annex II;

(c) ensure that the information is exchanged in accordance with the data quality, latency and protection requirements set out in Annex III;

(d) ensure the access to and the necessary protection of the information exchanged.

U-space service providers shall report the following to the competent authority:

(a) the starting of operations after receiving the certificate referred to in Article 14;

(b) the ceasing and subsequent restart of operations, if applicable.

CHAPTER IV

U-SPACE SERVICES

Article 8

Network identification service

The network identification service shall allow for the authorised users to receive messages with the following content:

(a) the UAS operator registration number;

(b) the unique serial number of the unmanned aircraft or, if the unmanned aircraft is privately built, the unique serial number of the add-on;

(c) the geographical position of the UAS, its altitude above mean sea level and its height above the surface or take-off point;

(d) the route course measured clockwise from true north and the ground speed of the UAS;

(e) the geographical position of the remote pilot or, if not available, the take-off point;

(f) the emergency status of the UAS;

(g) the time at which the messages were generated.

The authorised users shall be:

(a) the general public as regards information that is deemed public in accordance with applicable Union and national rules;

(b) other U-space service providers in order to ensure the safety of operations in the U-space airspace;

(d) when designated, the single common information service provider;

(e) the relevant competent authorities.

Article 9

Geo-awareness service

A geo-awareness service consisting of the following geo-awareness information shall be provided to UAS operators:

(a) information on the applicable operational conditions and airspace constraints within the U-space airspace;

(b) UAS geographical zones, relevant to the U-space airspace;

Article 10

UAS flight authorisation service

Where U-space service providers receive from the UAS operator an UAS flight authorisation request, they shall:

(a) check if the UAS flight authorisation request is complete and correct and submitted in accordance with Annex IV;

(b) accept the UAS flight authorisation request if the flight under the UAS flight authorisation is free of intersection in space and time with any other notified UAS flight authorisations within the same U-space airspace in accordance with the priority rules set out in paragraph 8;

(d) when notifying the UAS operator about the acceptance of the UAS flight authorisation request, indicate the allowed UAS flight authorisation deviation thresholds.

Article 11

Traffic information service

The traffic information service shall provide information about other known air traffic and shall:

(a) include the position, time of report as well as speed, heading or direction and emergency status of aircraft, when known;

(b) be updated at a frequency that the competent authority has determined.

Article 12

Weather information service

When providing a weather information service, U-space service providers shall:

(a) collect weather data, provided by trusted sources, to maintain safety and support operational decisions of other U-space services;

(b) provide the UAS operator with weather forecasts and actual weather information either before or during the flight.

The weather information service shall include, as a minimum:

(a) wind direction measured clockwise through the true north and speed in metres per second, including gusts;

(b) the height of the lowest broken or overcast layer in hundreds of feet above ground level;

(d) temperature and dew point;

(e) indicators of convective activity and precipitation;

(f) the location and time of the observation, or the valid times and locations of the forecast;

(g) appropriate QNH with geographical location of its applicability.

Article 13

Conformance monitoring service

CHAPTER V

CERTIFICATION OF U-SPACE SERVICE PROVIDERS AND SINGLE COMMON INFORMATION SERVICE PROVIDERS

Article 14

Application for a certificate

Article 15

Conditions for obtaining a certificate

U-space service providers and, when designated, single common information service providers shall be granted certificates if they demonstrate that they:

(a) are able to provide their services in a safe, secure, efficient, continuous and sustainable manner, consistent with the intended UAS operations and in compliance with the level of performance established by the Member States for the U-space airspace in accordance with Article 3(4);

(b) use systems and equipment that guarantee the quality, latency and protection of the U-space or common information services in accordance with this Regulation;

(c) have the appropriate net capital commensurate with the costs and risks associated with the provision of U-space or common information services;

(d) are able to report occurrences in accordance with point ATM/ANS.OR.A.065 in Subpart A of Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373;

(e) implement and maintain a management system in accordance with Subpart B of Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373;

(f) implement and maintain a security management system in accordance with point ATM/ANS.OR.D.010 in Subpart D of Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 and an information security management system in accordance with Annex II (Part-IS.I.OR) to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/203;

(g) retain for a period of, at least 30 days, recorded operational information and data or longer, where the recordings are pertinent to accident and incident investigations until it is evident that they will no longer be required;

(h) have a robust business plan indicating that they can meet their actual obligations to provide services in a continuous manner for a period of at least 12 months from the start of operations;

(i) have in place arrangements to cover liabilities related to the execution of their tasks appropriate to the potential loss and damage;

(j) where they avail themselves of services of another service provider, they have the agreements concluded to that effect, specifying the allocation of liability between them;

(k) have developed a contingency plan in the case of events, including security breaches impacting the delivery of services, which result in significant degradation or interruption of their operations;

Article 16

Validity of the certificate

A U-space service provider or a single common information service provider certificate shall cease to be valid if the holder of the certificate has:

(a) not started operations within 6 months after the certificate was issued;

(b) ceased operations for more than 12 consecutive months.

CHAPTER VI

GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 17

Capabilities of the competent authorities

Competent authorities shall have the technical and operational capacity and expertise to fulfil their obligations under Article 18. To this end, they shall:

(a) have appropriately documented procedures, and adequate resources;

(b) employ personnel with sufficient knowledge, professional integrity, as well as experience and training to perform their allocated tasks;

(c) take any action required to contribute to the safe, efficient and secure operations of UAS in the U-space airspace under their responsibility.

Article 18

Tasks of the competent authorities

The designated competent authorities shall:

(a) establish, maintain and make available a registration system for certified U-space service providers and single common information service providers;

(b) determine what traffic data, whether live or recorded, U-space service providers, single common information service providers and air traffic service providers are to make available to authorised natural and legal persons, including the required frequency and the quality level of data, without prejudice to personal data protection regulations;

(c) determine the level of access to the information for different users of the common information, and ensure it is made available in accordance with Annex II;

(d) ensure that data exchanges between air traffic service providers and U-space service providers are made in accordance with Annex V;

(e) define the manner for natural and legal persons to apply for a U-space service provider or single common information service provider certificate in accordance with Chapter V;

(f) establish a mechanism to coordinate with other authorities and entities, including at local level, the designation of U-space airspace, the establishment of airspace restrictions for UAS within that U-space airspace and the determination of the U-space services to be provided in the U-space airspace;

(g) establish a certification and continuous risk-based oversight programme, including the monitoring of the operational and financial performance, commensurate with the risk associated with the services being provided by the U-space service providers and single common information service providers under their oversight responsibility;

(h) require the providers of common information and U-space service providers to make available all necessary information to ensure that the provision of U-space services contribute to safe operations of aircraft;

(i) carry out audits, assessments, investigations and inspections of the U-space service providers and single common information service providers as established in the oversight programme;

(j) take into account the required levels of safety performance when defining the requirements for each U-space airspace that have been subject to an airspace risk assessment as referred to in Article 3(1);

(k) regularly monitor and assess the levels of safety performance and use the results of the monitoring of safety performance in particular within their risk-based oversight;

(l) establish, implement and maintain an information security management system in accordance with Annex I (Part-IS.AR) to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/203.

Article 19

Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 26 January 2023.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

ANNEX I

A. Criteria for the definition of UAS capabilities and performance requirements

To determine the UAS capabilities and performance requirements in accordance with Article 3(4)(a), the Member States shall take the following criteria into account:

the expected UAS types of operations and manned traffic density;

existing airspace classification and structures;

the U-space services to be provided;

any other additional constraints.

B. Criteria for the definition of U-space services performance requirements

To determine the U-space services performances requirements in accordance with Article 3(4)(b), the Member States shall take the following criteria into account:

Ground and air risk;

Geographical area overflown;

Known severe weather conditions;

Availability of infrastructure supporting U-space service

C. Criteria for the definition of operational conditions and airspace constraints

To determine the operational conditions and airspace constraints in accordance with Article 3(4)(c), the Member States shall take the following criteria into account:

1. Operational conditions

a. Expected types of flight;

b. Contingency and emergency procedures for UAS;

c. The procedure between the U-space service providers and the relevant air traffic services units to coordinate the UAS flight authorisation request in controlled airspace;

d. The procedures to disseminate dynamic airspace configuration in controlled airspace.

2. Airspace constraints

a. The available capacity for UAS traffic;

b. The available and planned capacity for manned aviation;

c. Access of manned aviation to U-space airspace;

d. Weather limitations for the use of the U-space airspace; Impact on aerodromes and other specific activities adjacent to the proposed U-space airspace.

ANNEX II

1.Providers of common information services shall ensure that the information referred to in Article 5(1), (2) and (3) is available online through common open, secure, scalable, sustainable technologies that are able to support the required levels of availability and performances, and that ensure interoperability and the free movement of U-space services in Union.

2.Providers of common information services shall grant access to common information on a non-discriminatory basis.

3.U-space service providers and air traffic service providers shall use a common secure interoperable open communication protocol.

ANNEX III

A. In order to meet the data quality requirements, providers of common information services and U-space service providers shall ensure that:

1.data quality is maintained;

2.verification and validation techniques are employed to ensure that data is received without corruption and that corruption does not occur at any stage of the data process;

3.the metadata is collected and preserved.

4.the transfer of data is subject to a suitable authentication process such that recipients are able to confirm that the data or information has been transmitted by an authorised source.

5.error reporting, error measurement and corrective action mechanisms are established and maintained.

B. In order to protect the data, providers of common information services and U-space service providers shall:

1.implement security policies, including data encryption and protection of critical data;

2.protect the open secure interoperable communication protocols from intentional unauthorised electronic interactions that may result in an unacceptable breakdown in communications;

3.identify, assess, and mitigate, as necessary, the security risks and vulnerabilities;

4.adhere to security standards and regulations regarding where data can be stored and ensure that third-party providers agree to follow security practices;

5.describe a policy for employee awareness and training and tools to reduce insider risks, and protection of data – including intellectual property. In doing so, they shall monitor the user and network activity to provide insight into ecosystem vulnerabilities and threats.

6.deploy solutions that augment threat detection and intelligence capabilities and ensure the use of technology safeguards.

ANNEX IV

The UAS flight authorisation request shall comprise the following information:

the unique serial number of the unmanned aircraft or, if the unmanned aircraft is privately built, the unique serial number of the add-on;

mode of operation;

type of flight (special operations);

category of UAS operation (‘open’, ‘specific’, ‘certified’) and UAS aircraft class or UAS type certificate if applicable;

4D trajectory;

identification technology;

expected connectivity methods;

endurance;

applicable emergency procedure in case of a loss of command and control link;

10.

registration number of the UAS operator and, when applicable, of the unmanned aircraft.

ANNEX V

1.The exchange of information shall be ensured through an agreement on a service level laying down the quality of information and through the exchange model used for the relevant operational data and information.

2.The exchange model shall:

a. enable the management and distribution of information in digital format;

b. describe the exchanged information features, their properties, attributes, data types, and associations;

c. include data constraints and validation rules;

d. apply a standard data encoding format;

e. provide an extension mechanism by which groups of users can extend the properties of existing features and add new features that do not adversely affect standardisation within and across Member States.

3.U-space service providers and air traffic service providers shall use a recognised encryption method.

4.U-space service providers and air traffic service providers shall use a common secure interoperable open communication protocol.

ANNEX VI

CERTIFICATE FOR U-SPACE SERVICE PROVIDER

[CERTIFICATE NUMBER/ISSUE No]

Pursuant to Regulation (EU) …/…. (and to Regulation (EU) …/….) and subject to the conditions specified below, the [competent authority] hereby certifies

[NAME OF THE U-SPACE SERVICE PROVIDER]

[ADDRESS OF THE U-SPACE SERVICE PROVIDER]

as a U-space service provider with the privileges, as listed in the attached service provision conditions.

CONDITIONS:

This certificate is limited to the conditions and the scope of providing services as listed in the attached service provision conditions.

This certificate is valid whilst the certified U-space service provider remains in compliance with Regulation (EU) …/… and the other applicable regulations and, when relevant, with the procedures in the U-space service provider’s documentation as required by Regulation (EU) …/…, Part-….

Subject to compliance with the foregoing conditions, this certificate shall remain valid unless it has been surrendered, limited, suspended or revoked.

Date of issue:

Signed:

[Competent authority]

U-SPACE SERVICE PROVISION CONDITIONS AND LIMITATIONS

has obtained the privileges to provide the following U-space services under the following conditions and limitations:

(Delete lines as appropriate)

Services	Type of service	Conditions	Limitations
U-space services	Network identification service
Geo-awareness service
UAS flight authorisation service
Traffic information service
Weather service
Conformance monitoring service
Other (as defined by the Member State)

ANNEX VII

CERTIFICATE FOR SINGLE COMMON INFORMATION SERVICE PROVIDER

[CERTIFICATE NUMBER/ISSUE No]

Pursuant to Regulation (EU) …/…. (and to Regulation (EU) …/….), the [competent authority] hereby certifies

[NAME OF THE SINGLE COMMON INFORMATION SERVICE PROVIDER]

[ADDRESS OF THE SINGLE COMMON INFORMATION SERVICE PROVIDER]

as a single common information service provider.

This certificate is valid whilst the certified single common information service provider remains in compliance with Regulation (EU) …/… and the other applicable regulations and, when relevant, with the procedures in the singles common information service provider’s documentation as required by Regulation (EU) …/…, Part-….

Subject to compliance with the foregoing conditions, this certificate shall remain valid unless it has been surrendered, limited, suspended or revoked.

Date of issue:

Signed:

[Competent authority]

Appendix

The purpose of this Appendix is to show the services related to U-space airspace provided in each specific airspace class in a concise manner. Therefore, it does not provide any specifications additional to those already expressed in this Regulation and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/666 amending Regulation (EU) No 923/2012. Air traffic services provided by ATS units and requirements for IFR and VFR flights remain those expressed in Regulation (EU) No 923/2012 and summarised in its Appendix 4.

Class	Type of flight	Allowed in U-space airspace	Services in U-space airspace by USSPs
A	IFR only	Not without dynamic airspace reconfiguration
UAS (¹)	Yes	UAS flight authorisation Traffic information about UAS
B, C and D	IFR and VFR	Not without dynamic airspace reconfiguration
UAS (¹)	Yes	UAS flight authorisation Traffic information about UAS
E	IFR	Not without dynamic airspace reconfiguration
VFR	Yes, subject to sharing position with USSPs	Nil
UAS (¹)	Yes	UAS flight authorisation Traffic information about UAS and VFR
F	IFR	Yes, subject to sharing position with USSPs	Nil
VFR	Yes, subject to sharing position with USSPs	Nil
UAS (¹)	Yes	UAS flight authorisation Traffic information about UAS, IFR and VFR
G	IFR	Yes, subject to sharing position with USSPs	Nil
VFR	Yes, subject to sharing position with USSPs	Nil
UAS (¹)	Yes	UAS flight authorisation Traffic information about UAS, IFR and VFR
(¹) Except UAS flying according to Instrument Flight Rules.