News

Paving the Way for Innovations in Unmanned Air Cargo

On June 21, Hao LIU Hao, Secretary General of JARUS, and Glyn H. Hughes, Director General of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), signed a groundbreaking MoU.

The primary objective of the MoU is to strengthen cooperation between JARUS and TIACA, aiming to promote the contribution of unmanned aviation, specifically air cargo, to global economic and social development.

The signing of this MoU marks a historic moment and will pave the way for new milestones in the near future.

“JARUS is committed to developing recommendations for a harmonized and industry-friendly regulatory framework in collaboration with ICAO and other international organizations. This MoU with TIACA is crucial for integrating the needs and expertise of UAS cargo transportation, which is critical to enabling future innovative air mobility and services. We eagerly anticipate a productive collaboration with TIACA to further enhance our products in this field,” emphasized Giovanni Di Antonio, FRAeS, JARUS Chair.

“We were pleased to facilitate the signing of this important MoU. As the unmanned air cargo transport sector takes off throughout the world, we are excited to be at the forefront of the development of this vital sector,” stated Catalin Radu, Director General, Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, and Vice Chair of JARUS.

“The cooperation between TIACA and JARUS marks a significant step forward in advancing commercial unmanned aviation, providing the global community with safe, secure, sustainable, and cost-effective cargo transportation. By working together, we will drive innovative air cargo transportation solutions, always prioritizing safety,” said LIU Hao, Secretary General of JARUS.

For more information from The International Air Cargo Association TIACA, please wait for the official News Release.

Special thanks to the leadership of Ms. Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan, and Mr. Catalin Radu.

Thank you, Steven Polmans (Chair of TIACA), Glyn H. (Director General of TIACA), and the entire TIACA team for your efforts, help, and facilitation. We are ready for the next stage of cooperation and new success.

Big applause to the colleague’s Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan—you made this cooperation happen and succeeded.

JARUS Spring Plenary 2024 Held in Astana, Kazakhstan

JARUS Spring Plenary Meeting released SORA 2.5, introduced new Work Programs, and celebrated the achievements of the WG-AUTO CONOPS. JARUS welcomed Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia as new member authorities.

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN – The JARUS Spring Plenary Meeting, hosted by the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan from May 13 to 17, 2024, marked the first in-person meeting of 2024. About 120 officials, experts, and industry representatives from more than 30 countries and international organizations attended the five-day meeting, both in person and online. The event released the important SORA 2.5 package, welcomed three new member states, and signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding with ACI World.

JARUS Leadership at the meeting included JARUS Chair Giovanni Di Antonio, ENAC Director of Technological Innovation, Vice-Chair Catalin Radu, Director General of the Kazakhstan Aviation Administration, Vice-Chair Craig Bloch-Hansen from Transport Canada, Secretary General Prof. LIU Hao from Beijing Institute of Technology, Zia Meer, Leader of WG Operation Organization & Personnel from SACAA, Markus Farner, Leader of WG Airworthiness from FOCA, Ami Weisz, Co-leader of WG Airworthiness from the Civil Aviation Authority Israel, and Joerg Dittrich, Leader of WG Safety Risk Management from DLR/LBA.

The Vice-Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Maksat Kaliakparov, and Ms. Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chairman of CAC, welcomed the JARUS community to Kazakhstan, highlighting the crucial role of JARUS in addressing the challenges of UAS and eVTOL sector integration into the airspace.

Working Group Updates:

– WG OPS ORG & PERS: Leader Zia Meer presented updates on Remote Pilot Competency (RPC) requirements and assessments for Category B Operations. The WG is developing an Operations Manual template with supporting guidance in line with SORA Annex A, A3.

– WG AW: Leader Markus Farner reported on CS-HAPS and CS-UAS, Annex C for High Complex Systems (HCS), and presented results from the tasks “Mapping of the EASA and FAA rules to the ICAO Model Regulation in the specific category” and “Comparison of the FAA Associated Elements and the EASA Control and Monitoring Unit.”

– WG SRM: Leader Joerg Dittrich updated on the SORA 2.5 Package and presented the SORA 3.0 work plan.

– WG AUTO CONOPS: Leader Craig Bloch-Hansen updated on the publication of “Methodology for Evaluation of Automation of UAS Operations” and the Whitepaper “Considerations for Automation of the Airspace Environment” on the JARUS website. Roberto Gándara from AESA Spain updated on use case demonstrations of the JARUS Automation evaluation methodology.

The Secretariat presented the JARUS ToR ver 8.2 update and called for nominations for JARUS Vice-Chair for the Americas. 

ISB (Industry & Stakeholder Body)proposed two new work items following the Ottawa Plenary 2023: roles and responsibilities related to RPAS airspace integration and OEM related activities.

Key Contributions:

– Professor Dr. Andreas Papatheodorou, executive board member of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, discussed the prospects for tourism development through Advanced Air Mobility.

– David Cole, CEO of Flyfreely, presented industry perspectives on SORA usage and adoption from Australia.

– Yvette Lawrenson from Windracers Group explored the role of unmanned aviation in humanitarian aid delivery.

With the acceptance of three new member states, the number of JARUS member states has reached 69. Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia sent delegations to the JARUS Plenary, where they officially presented their Letters of Accession to JARUS.

In the presence of Mr. Maksat Kaliakparov, Vice-Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ms. Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chairman of CAC, Mr. Giovanni Di Antonio, JARUS Chair, Mr. Catalin Radu, JARUS Vice-Chair, and various JARUS Plenary participants, local UAS operators, government authority guests, and airport representatives, JARUS Secretary General Prof. LIU Hao signed the Letters of Confirmation for JARUS Membership and officially welcomed the three new member authorities.

JARUS believes that the inclusion of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia will bring significant value to the organization. This expansion will provide these new members with access to a wider community of highly skilled UAS professionals, benefiting UAS stakeholders by fostering seamless innovation and maintaining high safety standards.

On May 14, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by ACI Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira and JARUS Chair Giovanni Di Antonio. This MoU establishes cooperation on unmanned aviation, advanced air mobility, vertiports, and promotes the Safety, Security, Efficiency, and Sustainable Development of civil aviation.

ACI represents the collective interests of airports around the world to promote excellence in the aviation industry. ACI does this by working with governments, regional ACI Offices, experts, and international organizations like ICAO to develop policies, programs, and best practices that advance airport standards globally.

On the final day, Secretary General Prof. LIU Hao provided an update on the UAS industry and regulatory progress in China. 

Frédéric Malaud, Chief of ICAO RPAS Section, and Thomas Bombaert, Secretary of the AAM Study Group, joined the Plenary remotely to provide updates on ICAO’s progress on related topics. ICAO reaffirmed that its coordination with JARUS is well established and ongoing. Thomas Bombaert also shared the latest developments from the AAM Study Group.

These updates underscore the strong and productive collaboration between ICAO and JARUS, paving the way for continued cooperation and joint efforts to advance the safe and efficient integration of UAS and AAM into global airspace.

The JARUS Plenary concluded with the announcement of the next plenary, to be held from November 18 to 22, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. 

JARUS held its second in-person Plenary meeting in Ottawa from September 18 to 22, 2023.

This second Plenary meeting was filled with triumphant moments: the celebration for the 15-year anniversary of JARUS and for the new leadership following the re-election of Giovanni Di Antonio, from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac), as Chair of JARUS, and the election of Catalin Radu, Director General of Civil Administration of Kazakhstan, as Vice-Chair.

The event focused on the progress of regulation for integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and Innovative Air Mobility/Advanced Air Mobility (IAM/AAM) into airspace and presented the expansion of the scope of the Work Programs of the Working Groups.

During the event, the ICAO Secretariat sent a delegation to participate the plenary and working sessions and debriefed the JARUS community for the UAS/RPAS work in ICAO.

Nearly 130 officials, experts and industry representatives from 36 countries and international organizations, including ICAO, EUROCONTROL and EASA participated this event.

For details, please visit the Press Release below.

JARUS plenary news release 2023/2

Ottawa hosted the second JARUS Plenary Meeting celebrating 15 years anniversary and the new Leadership of JARUS

A milestone week in Ottawa where nearly 130 officials, experts and industry representatives, and international organizations, such as ICAO, EUROCONTROL and EASA gathered from September 18 to 22, 2023 for the second in-person Plenary co-hosted by Transport Canada Civil Aviation and the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS).

This second Plenary marked 15 years of JARUS in the most fitting manner with the re-election of Mr. Giovanni Di Antonio, from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac), as Chair and the election of Mr. Catalin Radu, Director General of Kazakhstan Aviation Administration, as Vice-Chair.

At the meeting were present Giovanni Di Antonio, JARUS Chair and Enac Director of Innovation Technology, Craig Bloch-Hansen , Vice Chair and Leader of WG Automation Concept of Operation from Transport Canada, Prof. LIU Hao, JARUS Secretary General, Zia Meer, Leader of WG Operation Organization & Personnel from SACAA, Markus Farner, Leader of WG Airworthiness from FOCA, and Joerg Dittrich Leader of WG Safety Risk Management from DLR/LBA.

Yves Morier remotely joined the first day of the Plenary to congratulate JARUS on its 15^th anniversary. He highlighted the importance of this milestone which is a testament to the high level recognizing of the values and contributions of the work of JARUS experts over all these years.

Updates were provided by the JARUS working groups (WG) leaders.

Zia Meer presented the WG OPS ORG & PERS update. The WG has expanded its scope to CAT B operations and reported progress on revision of Annex A. The draft decision of the extended working Programme has been submitted for Plenary approval.

Markus Farner shared the updated Work Program 3.0 of the WG AW and reported the progress on CS-UAS, Annex B and C, the Airworthiness recommendations for HAPS-HAO and the FAA D&R and EASA Light UAS Certification Requirements Factual Comparison.

Joerg Dittrich presented WG Safety Risk Management update regarding the process of SORA and its integration between Annexes, the progress of SORA 2.5 and SORA 3.0, and Annexes A, B, E, F, H and I.

Craig Bloch-Hansen updated the starting of the Internal Consultation for the Airspace Whitepaper drafted by the WG AUTO CONOPS. The meeting also featured discussions on use cases for UAS and IAM/UAM, supported OOP WG with interpretation of Automation Level approach; contributed to AW/SRM WG discussions.

On the last day, the JARUS Plenary Team (PT) approved the “CS-HAPS” for internal consultation, the “Whitepaper – Automation of the Airspace Environment” for internal consultation, the “PDRA 06 UAS testing in VLOS” for external consultation, the “PDRA 08 Swarming Operations” for external consultation, the “PDRA 10 VLOS up to 200m” for external consultation, and the “Whitepaper, FAA D&R and EASA Light Certification Requirements, Factual Comparison, Edition Number 1.1” for publication.

John Walker, Chair of the Industry Stakeholder Body (ISB), and Julie Garland, Vice Chair of the ISB, provided a comprehensive debrief of the ISB subject matter expert policy. The ISB reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to collaborating with JARUS and pledged to continue working closely with the unmanned aviation community and stakeholders.

Frédéric Malaud, RPAS Panel Secretary, Thomas Bombaert, AAM SG, and Mark Wuennenberg, Operations, UAS-AG, drone enable, from ICAO, joined the Plenary meeting in-person and presented the ongoing activities of the RPAS Panel, AAM Study Group and UAS Advisory Group. This participation and discussion witnessed the resumed and enhanced long-term collaboration and coordination between ICAO and JARUS. The Plenary expressed gratitude for the in-person participation of ICAO colleagues.

Ron Van de Leijgraaf, the founder and first JARUS Chair, joined the final day of the Plenary meeting to congratulate the growth and successes of JARUS in the fifteen years of continuous activity. As the former leader of Chairs, he shared his advice for the future of JARUS.

In addition, the distinguished speakers presented on various UAS/RPAS projects, covering a wide range of topics.

Jeannie Stewart-Smith, from Transport Canada and the former Vice Chair of JARUS, provided an overview of Canada’s regulatory framework for remotely piloted aircraft systems, the Canadian Aviation Regulations Part IX.

Barry Koperberg, from Wings for Aid, presented their practice of delivering humanitarian goods with unmanned aircraft system to people in a safely and precise manner.

Other major updates were presented by Christopher L. SWIDER, from the FAA, Illyaquila Fateen Binti Ismail, from Malaysia CAA, Edwin Purnell, from UK CAA, and Raynold Senam Komla Atadja, from Ghana CAA.

Special thanks to Félix Meunier, Director General of Transport Canada Civil Aviation, Craig Bloch-Hansen, Vice Chair of JARUS, and the entire Transport Canada team for kindly hosting the JARUS Plenary in Ottawa.

It was announced that the upcoming first JARUS Plenary 2024 will be held between May 13 and 17 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan, and the second JARUS Plenary 2024 will be held in the week of Nov 18 and 22 2024, in Vienna, Austria.