Murzilli Consulting’s regulatory newsletter for the latest in UAS, eVTOL and AAM/IAM updates.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published an updated version (B) of NPA 2025-07, adding proposed Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM) to support trustworthy AI in aviation under the EU AI Act.
Key updates include:
🔸 Trustworthiness Criteria: Defines how to assess and implement AI trust features in aviation contexts
🔸 AMC & GM Templates: Offers practical tools for implementation, including guidance on data, explainability and monitoring
🔸 Clarified Use Cases: Strengthens guidance for Level 1 (assistance) and Level 2 (human-AI teaming) systems
🔸 Regulatory Alignment: Designed to evolve with future domain-specific rulemaking (e.g. ATM, airworthiness)
The consultation remains open until 10 February 2026.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has updated its Covered List to clarify that certain drone components and services previously associated with entities deemed national security risks are not subject to usage restrictions under current law.
This update follows stakeholder concerns about the status of previously authorised drones. The FCC confirmed that its rules only apply to new equipment authorisations involving covered components, and do not revoke existing authorisations. Drones that do not contain covered communications equipment are exempt from restriction, even if produced by manufacturers named in the list.
Key clarifications include:
🔸 No retroactive effect: Existing FCC equipment authorisations for drones remain valid, even if the drone’s manufacturer appears on the Covered List.
🔸 Equipment-specific restrictions: Only new applications for drones with covered equipment are affected.
🔸 Component-level assessment: The presence of covered components, not the manufacturer alone, determines whether restrictions apply.
🔸 FAQs published: The FCC released a detailed FAQ document addressing stakeholder questions and outlining the implications for manufacturers, operators and regulators.
This update is particularly relevant to industries using drones for agriculture, surveying, logistics and photography, and confirms that many such uses remain unaffected by FCC restrictions.
Spain's Civil Aviation Authority (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea, or AESA) closed 2025 with over 150,000 registered UAS operators, marking a 26% year-on-year increase and reinforcing Spain’s growing role in the European drone ecosystem.
Key updates:
🔸 30,620 new UAS operators were registered in 2025, with the highest numbers in Andalucía (26,111), Madrid (25,067) and Cataluña (18,658).
🔸 262,885 pilot training certificates were issued during the year, including over 142,000 for A1/A3 basic open category training.
🔸 Regulatory progress included the national application of SORA 2.5 risk assessment methodology for specific category ops, the full transition of non-EASA operators (e.g. police, SAR) to RD 517/2024 and the publication of SAIL III Means of Compliance, enabling medium UAS flights in populated areas.
🔸 AESA authorised pilot projects supporting innovation, including BVLOS medical logistics in Madrid, HAPS ops in Fuerteventura and Teruel and pre-defined fitosanitary ops (250+ authorisations granted).
🔸 Spain reaffirmed its European leadership through participation in JARUS, SAIL III and development of SORA 3.0 alongside EASA and INECO.
Looking ahead, AESA is focused on enabling iConspicuity technologies to support more advanced ops like BVLOS in non-segregated airspace, and on launching pilot zones in 2026-27 for collaborative airspace integration.
EASA is reinforcing the importance of checking national drone restriction maps before every flight. Under European drone regulations, it is the pilot’s legal responsibility to know where they can and can’t fly.
To support compliance, EASA has created a central directory of national aviation authority (NAA) websites where pilots can access official airspace information, register as operators, complete training, and apply for authorisations.
Key highlights:
🔸 From January 2026, DJI drones with EU class labels will exclusively use official NAA maps for airspace restrictions.
🔸 This change follows a collaboration between EASA and DJI to align DJI’s geo-awareness systems with EU rules.
🔸 Outdated or non-official data sources have been removed from DJI systems to prevent confusion and ensure safety.
🔸 Pilots must still always consult official NAA sources directly, regardless of which drone they fly.
These updates aim to support safe, legal and stress-free drone operations across the EU.
The SESAR Joint Undertaking has published the U-space Implementation Handbook, offering consolidated guidance for stakeholders implementing U-space across Europe. Developed under the U-ELCOME project (a Digital Sky Demonstrator co-funded by the EU), the handbook compiles lessons from the initial phases of U-space deployment under Regulations (EU) 2021/664, 2021/665, and 2021/666.
The handbook includes:
🔸 70 Lessons Learned & Recommendations: Insights from Member States and SESAR demonstrators (e.g. BURDI, ÉALÚ-AER), offering practical strategies to support safe, secure drone integration into airspace
🔸 Stakeholder Support Across All Phases: Tailored guidance for early-, intermediate- and advanced-stage implementers; including regulators, U-space service providers and UAS operators
🔸 Technical & Regulatory Framework: Includes 6 appendices covering key operational, legal and procedural elements to guide certification, airspace designation and service coordination
🔸 Collaborative Knowledge Base: Aims to accelerate deployment by sharing implementation practices and challenges across EU Member States
The handbook is intended as a living reference to support the scaling of U-space operations in Europe. It encourages further contributions to enrich a growing pan-European knowledge base.
Did we miss any news about drone regulations? Write to us, and we’ll add it to next month’s edition!
Follow Murzilli Consulting on LinkedIn for more information about upcoming drone regulations.
See you in the skies and beyond,
Team Murzilli
Quality Policy of Murzilli Consulting - Spanish office
The activities developed by M&K UAS & SPACE SPAIN SL according to the requirements expressed in the International ISO 9001: 2015 standard are:
Consultancy and training services on Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Drones) and Flight Procedure Design (FPD).
The main points of action issued by the management in the quality policy statement issued by the management are:
Our quality commitment to all the interested parties (customer, suppliers, stakeholders, employees, competence and public administration) leads us to provide reliable and effective products and services. These product and services are provided worldwide in compliance with the regulatory requirements and in full alignment with our company values.
The Quality culture and mindset is promoted through proper training to each member of M&K UAS & SAPCE SPAIN SL so that everybody has full awareness of the quality importance.
Management makes this policy accessible and available to its customers, its employees, suppliers and the general public
The Policy is kept up-to-date through periodic reviews, coinciding with the management review of the system, in order to take into account changes in environmental conditions and the information received. In this sense, the management provides and will provide all the human, technical and economic resources needed to achieve the objectives and targets established scheduled and periodically.
07/01/2025. Ed. 1.
Chief Executive Office
Quality Policy of Murzilli Consulting - German office
The activities developed by M&K Germany GmbH according to the requirements expressed in the International ISO 9001: 2015 standard are:
Consultancy on Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Drones) and other related areas in a wide range of services, including: "Unmanned aerial systems (drone) consultancy".
The main points of action issued by the management in the quality policy statement issued by the management are:
Our quality commitment to all the interested parties (customer, suppliers, stakeholders, employees, competence and public administration) leads us to provide reliable and effective products and services. These product and services are provided worldwide in compliance with the regulatory requirements and in full alignment with our company values.
The Quality culture and mindset is promoted through proper training to each member of M&K Germany GmbH so that everybody has full awareness of the quality importance.
Management makes this policy accessible and available to its customers, its employees, suppliers and the general public
The Policy is kept up-to-date through periodic reviews, coinciding with the management review of the system, in order to take into account changes in environmental conditions and the information received. In this sense, the management provides and will provide all the human, technical and economic resources needed to achieve the objectives and targets established scheduled and periodically
2st Ed.; 16/02/2026
Chef Executive Office
