UK CAA appoints first commercial drone assessor
April 24, 2025
Engineering services company, AtkinsRéalis, has been appointed the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA’s) first approved assessor of commercial drones.
With drones becoming increasingly commonplace in everyday life, the CAA, which was named the UK’s drone Market Surveillance Authority (MSA) earlier this year, reported more than 470,000 active registered drone users in the UK as of March 2025.
In line with the MSA’s responsibility for ensuring required standards for drones are met by manufacturers, as well as importers and distributors, the CAA has appointed AtkinsRéalis as its first approved assessor of commercial drones. The company’s technical experts will be tasked with assessing the flightworthiness of drone designs across various sectors, including those used for cargo, medical deliveries, surveillance and media operations.
“From expediting deliveries of live-saving medical supplies to more efficient monitoring of our critical national infrastructure, drones are set to deliver significant benefits across multiple industries,” said James Richmond, AtkinsRéalis head of advanced air mobility (AAM). “This pace of change will hinge on constructive partnerships between industry and regulators, ensuring these aircraft integrate safely into airspace while encouraging innovation.”
Commenting on how the UK Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) is the UK’s version of a drone risk assessment process developed with consensus from multiple aviation authorities, Sophie O’Sullivan, director of future of flight at the UK CAA said the process represents a “significant step forward in how the UK approaches drone certification.”
In addition to assessing drone flightworthiness for commercial operators applying through the UK SORA process, AtkinsRéalis will also evaluate manufactuers’ drone designs under Safety Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL) Mark policies.
O’Sullivan concluded, “As we enable the safe expansion of the UK’s commercial drone market to support economic growth, recognised assessment entities like AtkinsRéalis will play an important role in providing technical expertise to ensure drone operators and designers are compliant.”
