Rapid innovation is taking place in all aspects of the civil aviation sector. However, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones; urban air mobility; use of e-passports, biometrics and contactless technology to facilitate air passenger travel; e-air waybills and e-commerce; and cyber security as well as application of big data, fintech, the internet of things, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and block-chain; and other emerging technologies have significant impact on users and consumers of civil aviation products and services.

The use of drones in particular broadens direct access to aviation to those segments of society that may never fly by plane or travel through airports: Drones are now supporting local businesses and societies through:

• Delivery of blood, medical supplies, vaccines and parcels,
• Monitoring of oil and gas operations and pipelines,
• Monitoring land and maritime border movements and security,
• National security management against terrorism, kidnaping, banditry and piracy,
• Agricultural crop spraying, animal husbandry and wildlife management,
• Aerial shows, video and photography; and
• Accident/disaster site aerial surveillance, firefighting and other emergency situations.

As these innovations bring new benefits to society, there are also new challenges. For example, drone and urban air mobility operations expand the scope of civil aviation beyond the traditional aircraft-airport-airspace operating environment with attendant challenges concerning safe and efficient interaction of these new operations with regular air traffic; UAV traffic management; regional and urban planning; protection of national security; and assurance of public safety, security, privacy, liability, and the like.

It is therefore important that States’ National development plans and civil aviation policies promote innovation and encourage intersectoral synergies. Administrators should keep an open mind and be receptive to new ideas, support new entrants and start-ups as well as facilitate innovation networks, incubators and accelerators.

New and innovative technologies should be guided by critical fundamental principles, including intellectual honesty; technical, economic, social, ecological and environmental advancement; respect for human rights, privacy and protection for personal information and data; ethics; and equality of access and non-discriminatory application.

A significant number of current innovations in civil aviation are being researched, developed and driven by new actors, and many of the technologies and applications are adapted from other sectors. The civil aviation ecosystem now includes these new entrants as well as other stakeholders that represent the views of the users and the public. They should accordingly be part of government consultations in the development and implementation of new policies and regulations guiding innovation.

For innovation to thrive, government policy decision makers and regulators would need to also support and implement innovation in regulatory services. The introduction of new initiatives and innovative technologies should be seen as an opportunity for regulators to develop new skills while rule-making processes should be adapted to respond to the pace of ongoing innovations.

Regulators should, where possible, adapt existing ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) or develop new regulations as may be required to ensure appropriate safeguards for safety, security, privacy, liability, and other risks. For example, noting that the acceptable level of safety for a small drone may not be same as for a passenger airplane, regulators should be diligent but pragmatic in their approach so as not to stifle innovations that would add significant value to society and to lives and livelihoods of people.

National administrations should share their experiences with ICAO and other Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs). They should seek opportunities for regional cooperation as drones and many other technologies are increasingly being employed in cross border operations.