Are you OK with cookies?

We use small files called ‘cookies’ on lawcom.gov.uk. Some are essential to make the site work, some help us to understand how we can improve your experience, and some are set by third parties. You can choose to turn off the non-essential cookies. Which cookies are you happy for us to use?

Google Analytics
Name	Purpose	Expires
_ga	Used to distinguish users.	2 years
_ga_5TD3Y2B6RT	Used to persist session state.	2 years

Google Analytics Events
Name	Purpose	Expires
_ga	Used to distinguish users.	2 years

Video Streaming
Name	Purpose	Expires
YouTube	YouTube videos play in privacy-enhanced mode. This mode may set third-party cookies on your computer when you click on the YouTube video player. These cookies will not be personally identifiable.	Read the YouTube policy
Vimeo	Vimeo videos set third-party cookies to enable the video to play and collect analytics data. These cookies do not track individuals.	Read the Vimeo policy

Social Media
Name	Purpose	Expires
Twitter/X	Twitter/X widgets may add cookies to help analyse usage and remember your session if you are also logged in to your Twitter account.	Read the Twitter/X policy

All users
Name	Purpose	Expires
wordpress_test_cookie	This is used to test whether the browser accepts cookies	When you close your browser
PHPSESSID	This is used to link your device to the information sent to the server from your browser. It is typically used to avoid you having to retype information when moving from one page to another.	When you close your browser
ccfw-banner-hidden	Lets us know you have chosen which cookies are used so we can stop the cookie banner appearing when you return to the site.	1 year
ccfw-gtm-allowed	Lets us know you have accepted certain cookies so we can stop them loading when you return to the site.	1 year
ccfw-time	This is used to store the cookie expiry dates so we know when to ask you again for consent.	1 year
info_banner_dismissed	This remembers if an information banner has been dismissed and prevents it from being displayed again.	When you close your browser

Logged in users
Name	Purpose	Expires
wordpress_[hash]	This authenticates you when you log in to the admin area	When you close your browser
wordpress_logged_in	This shows the site that you’re logged in and who you are so you can access the functions you need	When you close your browser
wordpress_sec	If you are logged in as a site admin, this stores your authentication details.	When you close your browser
wp-settings-{time}-[UID]	The number on the end [UID] is your individual user ID from the users database.	1 year

Aviation autonomy

Examining the law around autonomous flight to support the safe development of rapidly advancing technology.

Consultation open until 18 July 2025

If you have an interest in or awareness of this area of law, we want to hear your views.

Find out how to respond

Read the full consultation paper and consultation paper summary. A welsh version of the consultation paper summary is also available.

Respond using the online response form.

If you need any of the documents in an alternative format, email us at aviationautonomy@lawcommission.gov.uk.

Background (Back to top)

The Law Commission has been asked by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Department for Transport (DfT) to review the law around autonomous flight. This is to support the safe development of rapidly advancing technology.

The three-year review is partly funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) through the Future Flight Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK and the Economic and Social Research Council. It will examine the existing legal framework to identify the challenges and opportunities linked to the introduction of highly automated systems into the aviation sector.

Project (Back to top)

Automation is already heavily used in aviation today. Recent breakthroughs have seen the development of new, innovative autonomous and highly automated systems and vehicles. These include drones, as well as advanced air mobility vehicles, such as vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which can provide short journeys for a small number of people.

Increased automation has the potential to deliver substantial benefits to the entire aviation system, UK industry and the public. To realise these benefits, the UK’s legislative and regulatory framework needs to be sufficiently agile to facilitate innovation while being robust enough to maintain the sector’s high safety standards.

The project reviews existing legislation to identify any legislative blocks, gaps or uncertainties. The Law Commission will consult with key stakeholders in the aviation and innovation sectors, before proposing a series of law reforms that will ensure the UK is ready to take advantage of oncoming advances in automation.

Consultation

In February 2024, we published a consultation paper which looked at the law relating to drones and VTOLs. We considered the roles and responsibilities of remote pilots and operators of these uncrewed aircraft.

We have now published our second consultation paper, which focuses on the provision of air traffic management and air navigation services (ATM/ANS) to uncrewed aircraft. To operate safely in integrated airspace, uncrewed aircraft will require some form of ATM/ANS, which we refer to as uncrewed aircraft systems traffic management (“UTM”). In our paper, we make provisional proposals about how UTM should be regulated, and about the legal mechanisms for establishing liability when things go wrong.

Consultees may find it beneficial to read the summary of the first consultation paper before the second consultation paper.

Watch the video below of Professor Alison Young, Commissioner for Public Law and the Law in Wales, discussing the Law Commission’s aviation autonomy consultation.