In the increasingly regulated and risk-sensitive world of drone operations, compliance is not a one-time achievement, it’s a continuous process. Whether you’re a certified Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) holder operating across Europe, or a large organisation managing a public safety drone program or critical infrastructure inspections, compliance monitoring is the foundation that enables safe, legal, and scalable operations.

Yet, many organisations still treat compliance as a box-ticking exercise, or as something that only matters during the initial application phase. That’s a critical mistake. As drone operations become more autonomous, dispersed, and complex, establishing a structured compliance monitoring function is not only a regulatory requirement (in the case of LUC holders), but an operational necessity.

What is Compliance Monitoring?

Compliance monitoring is the structured, continuous process of checking whether your organisation still meets the regulatory, operational, and safety requirements it committed to in its authorisation. It involves monitoring procedures, documentation, staff competencies, incident response, aircraft maintenance, and more.

For LUC holders, compliance monitoring is mandatory under Part-LUC of the EU drone regulations (EU 2019/947). It enables these operators to self-authorise high-risk operations like BVLOS flights or flights over people, without re-applying to the competent authority each time. But to retain this privilege, operators must implement a documented and effective compliance monitoring function.

This includes:

• A clearly appointed Compliance Monitoring Manager (CMM)

• Defined audit and oversight procedures

• Regular reviews of operations to ensure alignment with the approved SORA and Operations Manual

• Procedures for corrective and preventive action

• Documentation and record keeping that demonstrate continued conformity

In short: if you’re a LUC holder and your operations change - or the regulations do - you are expected to detect this internally and respond accordingly.

Why It’s Just as Important for Public Safety and Infrastructure Operators

Even if you are not a LUC holder, you’re not off the hook. Organisations like police departments, fire brigades, port authorities, energy providers, and rail or road operators increasingly manage fleets of drones that perform complex and often semi-autonomous tasks: from live situational awareness during emergencies to automated inspections of infrastructure or surveillance of sensitive sites.

In these environments:

• Operational complexity is high: Flights can involve multiple pilots, aircraft, payloads, and third-party systems (e.g. drone-in-a-box, detection systems).

• Teams are distributed: Units in different regions may interpret procedures differently or drift away from approved practices.

• Data is critical and sensitive: For example, imagery from a refinery, traffic accident, or police operation may be subject to strict access control and data protection rules.

Without active compliance monitoring:

• Documentation becomes outdated

• Staff qualifications lapse

• Critical procedures get bypassed in the field

• Audit-readiness and public trust suffer

Furthermore, competent authorities may audit these programs - even without a LUC - especially in cases involving cross-border operations, night flights, or emergency response exemptions.

The Key Elements of a Solid Compliance Monitoring Program

Regardless of whether you’re a LUC holder or an enterprise drone user in a regulated sector, a compliance monitoring framework should cover:

1. Documentation Reviews

   • Regular updates of the Operations Manual (OM), ConOps, checklists, emergency response plans, and other documents

   • Updates to reflect changes in equipment, procedures, or regulations (e.g. SORA 2.5)

   
   

2. Flight Log and Incident Oversight

   • Are all flights logged? Are deviations or incidents being reported, reviewed, and learned from?

   
   

3. Pilot and Fleet Management

   • Tracking qualifications, training status, medical fitness, and recency for all remote pilots

   • Aircraft maintenance logs, firmware updates, and airworthiness checks

   
   

4. Internal Audits

   • Scheduled reviews of team operations against your authorisation

   • Corrective actions and continuous improvement

   
   

5. Regulatory Horizon Scanning

   • Monitoring regulatory changes that may affect your operation (e.g. new PDRA templates, new OSOs, updated AMC/GM)

This may sound like a lot, but that’s where AirHub comes in.

How AirHub Supports Compliance Monitoring

At AirHub, we understand that compliance can become unmanageable as drone programs scale. That’s why we’ve built solutions that make it easier, not harder, to stay compliant.

AirHub Software: Compliance Built Into Your Workflow

Our Drone Operations Platform supports compliance monitoring by embedding it directly into your daily operations:

• Document Repository: Upload and manage your OM, SORA, checklists, SOPs and ConOps centrally, version-controlled and accessible to all pilots.

• Real-Time Oversight: Monitor all flight operations, including incident reporting, operating limits (altitude, distance, flight areas), and emergency actions.

• Fleet & Pilot Management: Keep track of pilot qualifications, training records, aircraft status, and maintenance schedules, with automatic notifications.

• Audit Trail: Export complete flight logs and compliance documentation for internal reviews or external audits.

• Secure Data Mode: For public safety and critical infrastructure users, our Secure Data Mode ensures data sovereignty: all data is stored locally or only sent to servers explicitly selected by the customer.

AirHub Consultancy: Translating Requirements into Action

Our Consultancy team helps organisations not only obtain operational authorisations, but also maintain them over time.

We support:

• Setting up compliance monitoring programs aligned with EASA Part-LUC or national guidance

• Conducting periodic reviews and internal audits

• Updating documentation following equipment changes or expansion of operations

• Preparing for audits or requesting extensions and amendments to authorisations

If you are a government agency or enterprise operator aiming to implement a scalable and future-proof drone program, we help you translate legal and regulatory obligations into operational tools and routines.

Final Thoughts

Compliance monitoring isn’t about paperwork, it’s about accountability, operational excellence, and trust.

For LUC holders, it’s the mechanism that allows autonomy and speed in authorising new operations. For public safety, security, and infrastructure operators, it’s what keeps programs safe, reliable, and accepted—both by regulators and the public.

Treating compliance as a living, integrated part of your organisation’s drone operations ensures you’re always ready for what’s next: a new regulation, a new mission, or a new innovation.

Need help building or scaling your compliance monitoring approach? Reach out to the team at AirHub to get started.