New Risk Assessment System Launched by the UK Civil Aviation Authority

Photo Credits: British School of Aviation

An online digital risk assessment system designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of unmanned aircraft operations was recently launched by the Civil Aviation Authority of the UK. This system is known as the UK SORA, which stands for Specific Operation Risk Assessment. 

The SORA systems went live for the first time on the 23rd of April, with the aim of providing a consistent and more transparent approach to the risk assessments that arise during the operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), such as drones. This system provides better and clearer risk assessment, helping manufacturers and operators identify risks and gain approval faster. 

The drone authorisation process can be significantly altered with the launch of the UK’s SORA system. Its risk assessment abilities can help the UK Civil Aviation Authority scale their operations related to unmanned flight systems on a larger and more complex scale, as well as explore the possibilities of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS).  

Before SORA was launched in April this year, the online PDRA-01 Operational Authorisation service was launched around the same time last year. This service introduced the feature of self-declaration, reducing the processing time of applications from 14 days to an average of 30 minutes.  

Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Flight at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, stated in a comment. “The introduction of UK SORA marks a significant shift in the way the CAA conducts risk assessments to foster safer, more efficient environment for drone operations.”