Drones Could Create 150,000 EU Jobs, Says House Of Lords Report

A House of Lords report on drones has found that the industry could create as many as 150,000 jobs by 2050.

The House of Lords EU Committee reports also urged to make Europe and the UK global leaders in the drone industry.

The committee has been scrutinising the European Commission’s proposals for drones, and supports its plans to homogenise safety rules across the EU, but does argue for national flexibility for smaller drones and ‘remotely piloted aircraft systems’ (RPAS).

Astonishing

Committee Chairman Baroness O’Cathain said: “The growth in civilian drone use has been astonishing and they are taking to the skies faster than anyone could have predicted. We have a huge opportunity to make Europe a world leader in drone technology. The committee was particularly interested in the idea of drones being used to carry out “dull, dirty or dangerous” jobs, such as shipping cargo and search and rescue operations.

But O’Cathain said: “There’s also a risk—public understanding of how to use drones safely may not keep pace with people’s appetite to fly them. It would just take one disastrous accident to destroy public confidence and set the whole industry back.”

The report urges the Government and the Commission to adopt a raft of measures to improve safety and the enforceability of existing laws. These include a shared manufacturing standard for drones, an online database of drone operations, and increasing the use of geo-fencing technology, which limits the fly zones of drones.

Read our blog post here on where you can fly drones in the UK.

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