EU Releases Unified Low-Altitude Traffic Management Standards, Realizes Integrated Airspace Governance Across 27 Member States and Mandates Dual-Satellite Navigation
Author: Backhouse Global Low-Altitude Economic Network
In early 2026, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) jointly released unified integrated low-altitude traffic management specifications with the European Union, ending the long-standing fragmentation of low-altitude airspace management rules, inconsistent access standards, and independent supervision systems across 27 EU countries. The new regulations officially ushered in a new era of standardized, integrated, and normalized development for Europe’s low-altitude economy. Previously, EU member states adopted disparate standards for airspace division, flight control, aircraft access, and safety supervision below 300 meters. Cumbersome cross-border flight approval procedures and high compliance costs severely restricted the coordinated development and large-scale expansion of Europe’s low-altitude industry. The newly implemented unified specifications realize overall planning of low-altitude airspace below 300 meters across the EU, unify communication protocols, flight control standards, airworthiness rules, and operational supervision systems for low-altitude aircraft, and completely break down cross-border flight barriers. Notably, the new rules set mandatory technical requirements, stipulating that all manned eVTOL aircraft and large industrial drones must be equipped with a dual navigation system of Beidou and Galileo. The dual-system configuration significantly improves positioning accuracy, anti-interference capability, and flight safety for low-altitude operations through complementary technical advantages. Meanwhile, the EU has clarified its industrial infrastructure plan, aiming to build a Europe-wide digital intelligent low-altitude airspace management platform by 2027, and release unified construction and acceptance standards for vertiports to realize full-chain standardization of low-altitude aircraft, infrastructure, airspace supervision, and operational services. This institutional reform is a core initiative for the EU to seize global rule-making discourse power and improve regional industrial ecology. By unifying industry standards, standardizing industrial development, and optimizing infrastructure systems, the EU effectively integrates regional industrial resources, reduces cross-border operational costs for enterprises, and enhances the overall competitiveness of Europe’s low-altitude industry. It consolidates the institutional foundation for the large-scale and international development of Europe’s low-altitude economy and provides an important reference for cross-regional low-altitude airspace integrated management worldwide.
