BVLOS operational readiness checklist for Europe
Use this Europe-focused checklist to prepare ConOps, risk (SORA), authorisation route, procedures, and roles before BVLOS drone flight.
BVLOS operational readiness checklist Europe: regulatory first
BVLOS means flying outside the remote pilot’s direct visual range. The aircraft may then depend on onboard sensors, GPS and detect-and-avoid systems for safe flight.
That technical set-up does not, by itself, make a mission legal. European rules focus on the risk of the operation, not just the aircraft used.
The operator must first define the mission, place, people, airspace and safety measures. That concept drives the category, risk work and approval route.
Define the operation before choosing the approval path
Start with a written Concept of Operations, often shortened to ConOps. It should describe what the mission does and how the aircraft will fly.
For an agricultural operation, state whether the mission maps fields, gathers crop data, applies a product or carries goods. Our guides to precision agriculture mapping with drones and how agricultural drone spraying systems work show why these are distinct jobs. Each has its own route, payload, ground area and failure effects.
The ConOps should make the intended geography clear. Define the operating area, flight path, airspace, nearby people and property, and any local hazards.
Also explain the degree of automation. State which tasks the system performs and which decisions remain with the remote pilot. Avoid vague terms such as “autonomous mission” unless the dossier explains what that means in practice.
Your first readiness check should answer these points:
- What is the mission?
- Where will it take place?
- Which parts are automated?
- How does the remote pilot monitor and control it?
- What happens when the planned flight cannot continue?
- Which people, property and airspace could be exposed to risk?
If these answers are still changing, the approval package is not ready.
Confirm the EASA category and risk route
European drone rules use risk-based categories. The same aircraft can present a different risk over a remote field than over a built-up site.
The Open category is for lower-risk operations and is limited to visual line of sight. A planned BVLOS mission therefore cannot be treated as an ordinary Open-category flight.
BVLOS normally sits in the Specific category. This route calls for an operational authorisation from the relevant national aviation authority. The operator submits a ConOps and risk assessment for review.
The Certified category covers higher-risk operations. Operators should not select a route based on a broad description alone. The planned operation and its risk determine the right path.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 sets rules and procedures for drone operations and personnel. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 deals with design and production conditions for unmanned aircraft systems.
EASA’s guidelines for operations in the Open and Specific categories support the use of these regulations. The guidelines say that they are not legally binding and must not contradict or change the regulations.
The current supplied issue is Issue 03, dated 17 July 2025. Its Specific-category section was amended with more information on BVLOS operations. Check the revision status before relying on a saved copy.
Treat approval as a pre-flight condition
Do not treat authorisation as paperwork that can follow an initial trial. BVLOS needs explicit approval through the applicable authorisation route.
Training evidence is not a substitute. A course may cover BVLOS flight and highly automated operations, but the resulting certificate does not authorise the mission. The supplied course material states that BVLOS privileges depend on what the operational authorisation allows.
The national aviation authority reviews the application. Country processes and added conditions may vary, even where the common EASA framework applies.
Your schedule should therefore separate project work from authorised flight. Route planning, document drafting, staff training and system checks can support the application. The BVLOS mission itself must wait for approval.
Record any limits attached to the authorisation. Operations staff need to know the approved area, mission conditions and safety measures before releasing a flight.
Pre-flight regulatory package: approval, category and risk alignment
A useful regulatory package tells one consistent story. The ConOps defines the mission, the risk assessment tests it, and the procedures show how staff will run it.
If those documents describe different routes or control methods, the package is not ready. Version control matters because a changed mission may no longer match the assessed operation.
Build the package around the operation
The dossier should include a clear description of:
- Mission purpose and flight profile
- Geographic boundaries and operating area
- Ground and air risks
- Aircraft control and monitoring
- Degree of automation
- Remote pilot and crew roles
- Normal, abnormal and emergency procedures
- Risk controls and evidence that supports them
- Training and competency records
The supplied BVLOS compliance material identifies reliable command and control links, detect-and-avoid measures, risk controls and strong operating procedures as common safety needs. The exact case must still match the proposed mission.
Do not copy a generic ConOps from another operation without checking every section. A crop survey and a product application may cross the same field but expose different ground risks. The payload, route and response to a fault may also differ.
Sensor choice can affect both the work and the safety case. Agricultural drone sensors explained can help teams define the mission payload, but payload selection does not settle the approval question.
Use the right risk framework
The Specific Operations Risk Assessment, or SORA, provides a method for classifying Specific-category risk. It considers ground risk, air risk and the controls used to reduce them.
Ground risk work considers people and property beneath or near the flight path. Air risk work examines possible conflict with crewed aircraft and the surrounding airspace.
The assessment must then connect each hazard to a control. Simply listing sensors, GPS or automation does not explain how they reduce risk.
The authority and the facts of the mission still decide which route applies.
Operational procedures that must exist before BVLOS flight
Written procedures turn the safety case into work that a crew can follow. They should cover normal flight as well as faults and unexpected conditions.
Describe how the mission is controlled
The operating procedure should show how staff prepare, start, monitor and end a mission. It should also say which data the remote pilot uses when the aircraft cannot be seen directly.
BVLOS systems may use onboard sensors, GPS and detect-and-avoid systems. The procedure should explain the role of each part in the safety concept.
A regulator needs more than a list of installed systems. The dossier should state what the crew sees, which alerts demand action, and who has the power to stop the flight.
The procedure should also explain how the team confirms that the current route matches the authorised geography. A mission file that extends beyond the assessed area can break the link between the flight and its approval basis.
Assign clear crew roles
Name the person responsible for the operation and define the remote pilot’s duties. If other staff oversee automated flights, set out their tasks and authority.
Avoid shared duties with no clear owner. The procedure should identify who checks the mission, monitors the flight, handles an alert and records the outcome.
Highly automated flight does not remove the need for trained oversight. It changes what the remote pilot must watch and when that person must act.
The crew should also know when not to launch. If an approval condition, safety control or required procedure cannot be met, the mission should remain on the ground.
Cover abnormal and emergency events
Procedures should deal with failures that affect control, navigation or safe separation. They should tell staff how to recognise the event and what action to take.
Do not let the training manual and operating manual conflict. Staff need one approved response for each event covered by the safety case.
Risk assessment and documentation: what you should be able to show
A complete dossier should let a reviewer trace each safety claim back to the operation. It should also let the crew trace each approval condition to a working procedure.
Show the link from hazard to control
For each material hazard, record:
- What may go wrong
- Who or what may be harmed
- The operating condition in which it may happen
- The control used to reduce the risk
- The procedure that puts the control into practice
- The evidence retained by the operator
The risk assessment should cover the intended operation, not an idealised version of it. Use the actual geography, mission and control scheme described in the ConOps.
If the operation changes, check all linked documents. A route change may alter ground exposure or airspace risk. A change in automation may alter crew duties and training needs.
Keep the dossier current
Retain the risk assessment, ConOps, procedures, training records and authorisation together. Staff should be able to find the current approved set without relying on personal files.
Mark drafts clearly. A crew member should not mistake an old route or procedure for the approved version.
Keep records that show completed theory, exams, assessments and certificates where these form part of the competency case. Also retain any practical training records relevant to the operation.
Training and competency readiness for BVLOS
Training should match the actual mission. A general drone qualification does not, on its own, show readiness for automated BVLOS work.
The supplied BVLOS course covers flight beyond direct visual range and operations with a high degree of automation. Its theory is online and asynchronous, with videos, quizzes and an official final exam. A candidate who passes receives an official theory certificate.
Use such records as evidence within the dossier, not as a replacement for authorisation. If the operation relies heavily on automation, the training file should show that staff have studied that form of operation.
Practical competence also needs to match assigned duties. The operator should be able to show who was trained, what was assessed and which role the evidence supports.
Ready-to-fly gates
Use firm release gates rather than a broad claim that the project is “nearly compliant”.
Gate 1 — Regulatory approval
The correct category and authorisation route have been confirmed. The required operational authorisation has been issued, and its conditions are understood.
No BVLOS mission is scheduled before this gate closes.
Gate 2 — Dossier readiness
The ConOps, risk assessment and operating procedures describe the same mission. Hazards, controls, crew actions and evidence are linked.
The document set matches the approved operation and uses current versions.
Gate 3 — People readiness
The remote pilot and other relevant staff have completed training suited to their roles. Records cover BVLOS theory, assessments and automation where the mission depends on it.
Crew members know the normal, abnormal and emergency procedures.
Gate 4 — Operational concept clarity
The mission purpose, automation, control method and geography are precise. The team can show how the operation stays within its authorisation.
Only when all four gates are closed should the operator release the BVLOS flight.