Analysis of Unmanned Aircrafts Operation Management in the Context of Legislation and Software Equipment

Abstract

The conditions and rules governing the operation of Unmanned aircraft (UA) adopted at the level of the European Union form the basis of legal and economic regulation at the national level. While the European rules for the operation of drones entered into force on December 31, 2020, their implementation is still not underway in the territory of the Slovak Republic, which adversely affects Slovak citizens who are interested in flying with unmanned aircrafts outside the Slovak republic borders. The main problem is the condition of registration in the state of permanent residence of the pilot or of the company's registered office, but Slovakia has not yet established such a system and registration in another (foreign) one is not allowed. Currently, therefore, the use of unmanned aircrafts is regulated by the Transport Authority, through Decision No 2 2019 of 14 November 2019, On determination of conditions for unmanned aircraft flight operations and restriction of specific categories aircrafts flight operations in the airspace of the Slovak Republic. This decision defines the rules of operation and UA categories copying European union wide rules on the other hand, absent the obligation to register and conduct online tests. The aim of the article is therefore an analysis of the current state of legal regulation of unmanned aircrafts at the level of the Slovak Republic in the context of legislation established by the European Union and an appeal to the need for an adequate response to the technological progress of unmanned aircrafts, especially from a legal point of view as well as related software equipment ensuring a complex registration system. The added value of the analysis is the assessment of the shortcomings of the current UA operation management software equipment.