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Stephan van Vuren
Global drone regulatory update: May 2026
In May 2026 the centre of regulatory gravity moved to the United States and to the standardisation bodies. The FAA issued two significant drone-focused decisions: a proposed rule allowing critical infrastructure operators to petition for site-specific drone restrictions, and a set of No-Drone Zones for FIFA World Cup 2026 backed by the new DETER enforcement initiative. Transport Canada published its monthly Drone Zone newsletter, ANAC Brazil put drones and advanced air mobility on the agenda of its multi-stakeholder workshop on the future of Brazilian civil aviation, and EUROCAE advanced three pieces of standards work relevant to UAS and emerging aviation technologies. Here are the developments shaping drone operations worldwide.
EMEA
ENAC advances hydrogen drone trials at the Padova Sandbox On 7 May, ENAC reported new milestones for the Padova Sandbox project, born from a cooperation agreement between ENAC, the Veneto Region and Gruppo SAVE. A test session at Milani's Osnago site demonstrated H2C's Key Energy Builder for green-hydrogen production, storage and delivery, plus a logistics vehicle refuel. For hydrogen-powered drones used to transfer medical goods, the demonstration confirmed 5-minute refuelling, 100 km range, 4 kg payload, 340 g hydrogen consumption per flight and 55 km/h maximum speed.
NCAA Nigeria launches digital drone regulation portal On 13 May, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority officially launched the Drone (UAS/RPAS) Portal at the 6th Africa International Drone Technology Conference and Exhibition (Dronetecx 2026) in Lagos. NCAA Director-General Capt. Chris Najomo framed the portal as a way to curb drone proliferation, manage the rapid growth of recreational Open-category drones, provide a roadmap for the industry, and complement Nigeria's existing Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs Part 21).
Americas
FAA proposes rule to restrict drones near critical infrastructure sites On 6 May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the FAA unveiled a proposed rule allowing operators of certain critical infrastructure to petition for FAA-approved restrictions on drone operations over their sites. Sixteen sectors would be eligible, including energy production, transportation systems, chemical facilities, water treatment and defence industrial complexes. Restrictions would be submitted and approved via a new FAA web portal based on safety or security criteria.
FAA establishes no-drone zones for FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums On 28 May, the FAA established temporary flight restrictions over stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and related fan events, prohibiting all aircraft, including drones, within a 3 nm radius up to 3,000 ft AGL on match days. Violators face fines of up to $100,000, drone confiscation and federal criminal charges. The FAA's Drone Expedited and Targeted Enforcement Response (DETER) initiative will support enforcement.
Transport Canada publishes Drone Zone issue 7 Transport Canada released Issue 7 of its Drone Zone newsletter on 1 May, covering right-of-way rules, recurrent training (recency) requirements, drone operating-weight rules, SFOC-RPAS service standards under high seasonal application volumes, updated Transport Canada fees from 1 April, the NAV CANADA RPAS/AAM market study, the medium-RPAS operations survey closing 31 May, the Drone Zone newsletter renaming consultation, the introduction of the Canadian Space Launch Act, and the latest registration and pilot certificate statistics.
ANAC Brazil convenes the aviation sector on future challenges On 20 May, ANAC concluded its workshop "Challenges of Civil Aviation for the next 5 years," bringing together sector representatives, experts, public and private institutions, academia and civil society. Drones, eVTOLs and advanced air mobility were explicitly on the agenda alongside the regulatory and operational challenges they pose for the Brazilian system.
Aerocivil Colombia strengthens measures and advances its national drone safety campaign Aerocivil announced reinforced enforcement measures and the next phase of its national "Vuela Legal, Vuela Seguro" ("Fly Legally, Fly Safely") campaign for legal, responsible and safe UAS operation across Colombia. The campaign rests on four pillars: registration and legality, operational safety aligned with RAC 100 and international standards, education, and enforcement. Penalties for restricted-area or non-compliant operation range from 4 to over 50 minimum monthly wages depending on severity.
Asia-Pacific
CASA publishes consultation summary on supporting uncrewed aircraft research and development CASA released the summary of consultation on Discussion Paper DP 2521US, which examined how the safety regulatory framework for uncrewed aircraft operations can better support research and development, including flexibility for research, regulatory burden, and the use of sandboxes and flight-testing. The output will feed into upcoming proposed amendments to broaden R&D pathways for the Australian industry.
CASA publishes RPAS news for May 2026 CASA's monthly RPAS newsletter for May covers the latest activity on BVLOS trial pathways, the assisted-visual-line-of-sight trial, progress on above-400 ft general approvals for low-risk operations, the three Operations Over or Near People (OONP) pathways for ReOC holders, the large-RPA commercial pathway, and category-based medium-drone approvals.
CAAC China sets out its 15th Five-Year vision for the low-altitude economy On 27 May, CAAC Administrator Song Zhiyong published a programmatic article on advancing the healthy and orderly development of the low-altitude economy, designated a national pillar industry in the 2026 Government Work Report. The article sets 15th Five-Year goals including 100% UAV real-name registration, more than 1 million certified operators, and over 80 million civil low-altitude flight hours per year. Current statistics show 3.8 million registered drones, more than 430,000 operators, 45.3 million flight hours in 2025 (up 70% year on year), 1,200 mid- to large-UAV manufacturers, over 40,000 operating companies, and 300,000 agricultural UAVs serving 460 million mu of farmland.
Japan MLIT hosts the first JARUS working group meeting on Japanese soil From 18 to 22 May, MLIT hosted the JARUS (Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems) Working Group meeting at X-NIHONBASHI in Tokyo, the first such meeting held in Japan since JARUS was founded in 2007, with record participation of around 60 delegates from 25 countries. Discussions focused on the revision of SORA, including quantitative methods for assessing and mitigating air risk. Japan presented its national UAS framework and SORA-derived risk-assessment case studies, reinforcing its active role in international UAS harmonisation.
Standardisation bodies
EUROCAE opens consultation on ED-286A for counter-UAS systems On 11 May, EUROCAE WG-115 opened public consultation on the draft ED-286A "OSED for Counter UAS Systems in Controlled Airspace," updating the 2021 ED-286 with current scenarios, use cases and risk-assessment guidelines for C-UAS deployment around airports and ANSPs. Comments are open until 25 June 2026.
EUROCAE opens call for experts on WG-135 On 12 May, EUROCAE published a call for experts for the newly launched Working Group 135 (CRL framework for emerging aviation technologies), alongside calls for WG-126, WG-67 and WG-28. WG-135 will advance the Common Reference List framework relevant to drone and AAM integration.
EUROCAE publishes its May 2026 NEWSblog On 28 May, EUROCAE released its monthly NEWSblog summarising May standards, working group activity, partnerships and event highlights, including the WG-135 launch, the digital standards initiative, virtual ATM work (WG-122), and EUROCAE's participation in Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon (26 to 28 May).
EUROCAE publishes ED-300A on AFHA and PASA guidance for VTOL On 29 May, EUROCAE published ED-300A "Guidance on conducting an AFHA and PASA for a VTOL using a generic example," supporting consistent functional hazard and preliminary aircraft safety assessments for VTOL aircraft, a key reference for eVTOL and advanced air mobility certification work.
ASTM releases a UAS special technical publication ASTM made available a UAS-related Special Technical Publication paper from its STP1633 series via its store, supporting ongoing technical-committee work on unmanned aircraft systems standards.
May's developments point to a clear shift towards enforcement, infrastructure protection and international coordination. From the FAA's proposed critical infrastructure drone restrictions and the FIFA World Cup No-Drone Zones backed by the new DETER initiative, to MLIT Japan's first hosting of the JARUS Working Group on SORA revision, regulators are at once hardening the operating envelope and harmonising the global rule set. In parallel, ENAC's hydrogen drone trials at the Padova Sandbox, CAAC China's 15th Five-Year low-altitude economy vision, and CASA's R&D consultation point to the next wave of scaled, sustainable operations.
The AirHub consultancy team will keep monitoring these developments as the industry moves towards broader integration and more advanced use cases. If there is a regulatory update we should include next month, let us know through our consultancy page.
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