Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations represent one of the most critical frontiers for the drone industry. Allowing drones to operate beyond the pilot’s direct line of sight will unlock a new era of scalability, efficiency, and public value. For the United Kingdom, achieving routine BVLOS operations is not merely a technical ambition but a cornerstone of the national Future of Flight objectives agreed upon by the Department for Transport (DfT), the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and industry stakeholders.

The shared vision is clear: routine BVLOS operations across key sectors by 2027, supporting public and commercial services such as emergency response, healthcare logistics, and infrastructure management.

Yet, as the CAA highlights in its Future of Flight: BVLOS Roadmap (CAP3182), this transformation cannot happen through a single regulatory overhaul. Instead, it must be achieved through carefully managed learning loops, operational trials, and evidence-based policy evolution.

From Segregation to Integration

A defining theme of the roadmap is the recognition that segregation is a stepping stone toward integration. Early BVLOS operations conducted in segregated or temporary airspace allow industry and regulators to collect operational data, validate detect-and-avoid (DAA) technologies, and refine risk assessments.

The CAA’s delivery approach is built on four key principles:
1. Segregation as a stepping stone – segregated operations are used to safely collect data and inform policy.
2. Iterative policy development – interim Concepts of Operations (ConOps) are published to mature policy and industry capabilities in parallel.
3. Outcome-focused progress – industry use cases drive learning and measurable outcomes.
4. Operational pathways – defined pathways allow tactical flying and controlled scaling toward integration.

This delivery model ensures that progress remains measurable, safe, and adaptable. Rather than aiming for a “big bang” regulatory change, the roadmap embraces a learn-and-evolve approach that aligns policy development with real-world operations.

Defining Operational Pathways

To manage the diversity of UAS applications, the CAA structures the BVLOS roadmap around operational pathways: groups of operations sharing similar concepts of operation, regulatory needs, and safety cases.

Three of these pathways are central to the roadmap:
1. Atypical Air Environment (AAE) – operations near infrastructure or specific ground environments such as power lines, railways, wind farms, or agricultural areas.
2. Integrated Low-Level BVLOS over Urban Areas – low-altitude operations in populated environments such as last-mile deliveries, medical logistics, or inspections between hospitals.
3. Fully Integrated BVLOS – operations seamlessly integrated into controlled and uncontrolled airspace such as offshore inspections, emergency services, and middle-mile logistics.

Each pathway evolves through operational scenarios that progressively expand operational freedom, moving from single-operator trials within controlled volumes to multi-operator environments across national airspace.

Operational Scenarios: Learning by Doing

The roadmap emphasizes operational scenarios as the bridge between experimentation and full-scale integration. Each scenario defines a specific combination of airspace environment, technology maturity, and policy conditions.

For example, an initial scenario might authorize a single operator to perform linear inspections within a defined corridor. The operational data and safety evidence gathered can then support expanded permissions for multiple operators in the same area.

This approach delivers tangible value to industry while enabling the regulator to build confidence in emerging technologies such as:
• Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems
• Electronic Conspicuity (EC) technologies (ADS-B in/out at 978 or 1090 MHz)
• Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) for strategic and tactical deconfliction
• Command and Control (C2) link performance aligned with SAIL (Specific Assurance and Integrity Level) requirements

By building evidence through real operations, these scenarios support iterative policy development and help define the risk-based framework for routine BVLOS flight.

The Roadmap to 2027

The roadmap describes a gradual transition from segregated, single-operator environments toward fully integrated, multi-operator airspace. In the early years, operations are confined to defined or temporary structures where safety can be closely monitored. As experience grows and technologies such as DAA, EC, and UTM mature, reliance on bespoke procedures decreases.

By 2027, the goal is to enable routine BVLOS operations across a wide range of environments, from linear infrastructure inspections to urban deliveries and offshore missions. Beyond this point, integration with crewed aviation will become increasingly seamless through standardized procedures, shared airspace data, and automated deconfliction.

Policy and Airspace Development

While operational progress drives much of the roadmap, policy and airspace integration remain the backbone. The roadmap is closely aligned with the UK Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) Part 3, which defines the long-term framework for integrated airspace up to 2040.

Key developments include:
• Publication of CAP 3145 for BVLOS testing and evaluation.
• Progressive definition of AAE environments in CAP 3040.
• Future publication of UK airspace architecture proposals to provide a unified framework for integrated crewed and uncrewed traffic.

All new policies will be developed through engagement and consultation, ensuring that industry participation remains central to shaping safe and scalable integration.

A Collaborative Path Forward

The Future of Flight roadmap is more than a regulatory document; it is a blueprint for collaboration between government, industry, and the regulator. The CAA’s role is to enable, not to restrict, by developing evidence-based frameworks that ensure safety while promoting innovation.

For UAS operators and technology developers, this roadmap provides clarity and direction: how capabilities will be recognized and approved, which technologies must mature, and how operations will evolve from isolated trials to nationwide networks.

The roadmap also reinforces the importance of data-driven regulation. Every operational scenario contributes real-world insights into human performance, automation reliability, communication robustness, and overall airspace safety, ensuring that BVLOS integration advances responsibly.

AirHub’s Role in the Future of Flight

At AirHub, we share the CAA’s vision of enabling safe, scalable BVLOS operations. Through our combined expertise in regulatory consulting and digital flight operations, we help operators, governments, and industry partners translate this roadmap into reality.

AirHub Consultancy supports organizations in building compliant BVLOS programs, developing safety cases, and integrating operational procedures into national frameworks.

AirHub Software provides the digital backbone for those operations through its Drone Operations Center (DOC), offering fleet management, live situational awareness, and compliance-by-design workflows for remote and long-range operations.

Together, these capabilities empower stakeholders to move from pilot projects to routine BVLOS operations, contributing directly to the safe and integrated future of flight envisioned by the UK CAA.

Conclusion

The Future of Flight: BVLOS Roadmap marks a decisive step toward a fully integrated airspace ecosystem. Through structured operational pathways, iterative learning, and close cooperation across sectors, the UK is setting a model for how BVLOS operations can evolve safely and sustainably.

As the roadmap progresses toward 2027 and beyond, the focus will remain on balancing innovation with assurance, enabling drones to deliver real societal value while maintaining the safety and trust of all airspace users.

At AirHub, we believe that future is already taking shape, and we are proud to help make it fly.