An international drone legislation expert has sighted South Africa as an example of how drone laws can severely set back industry gains if they stay stagnant.
Professor Filippo Tomasello is a leading expert on aviation regulation and safety who has spent time with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and holds classes on aviation regulations with top academies in Europe – and he is of the view that the only way the commercial drone industry can move forward in Africa is if regulators move with the times.
According to Professor Tomasello, while South Africa may have made good headlines as one of the first countries in the world to enact laws regulating the commercial drone space in the country, the subsequent stagnation has left the country lagging behind other more progressive markets.
The countries have succeeded in building strong bases for their drone stakeholders, underpinned by progressive laws that are constantly being looked at to accommodate new advancements.
“Rules made ten years ago do not keep pace with today’s state of the art in drone technology. We’ve seen a Copernican revolution in regulation – moving from mass-based to risk-based categories,” Professor Tomassello warns.
One instance is where many regulators in top markets have ditched the blanket practice of focusing solely on a drone’s weight to decide whether it is safe to allow it in the air or not.
Modern regulations consider the risk to people on the ground instead, he says.
“A small drone crashing in a rural field is far less dangerous than one falling in a busy urban square. Mass is not the primary factor anymore,”
As Tomasello further explains, this policy was officially adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in July last year, is being promoted by JARUS and ISO around the globe; and applied by the EU.
Aviation regulators in South Africa, and the continent at large may have to adopt the internationally recognised drone classification system to allow the industry to stay competitive.
“Europe is using drone classes from C0 to C6, based on the EU Drone Regulation (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945),” he says.
The EU has categorised civilian drones into seven classes (C0-C6) based on weight, intended use, and operational requirements. These classes are used for identifying the drone and ensuring compliance with regulations when flying in different categories.
- C0: These drones have a maximum take-off weight of less than 250 grams and are typically flown in the A1 subcategory of the Open Category.
- C1: Drones in this class weigh less than 900 grams and are also flown in the A1 subcategory.
- C2: Drones in this class have a maximum take-off mass of 4kg and can be flown in the A2 subcategory of the Open Category.
- C3: This class includes drones with a maximum take-off mass between 4kg and 25kg and can be flown in the A3 subcategory.
- C4: Drones in this class have a maximum take-off mass between 25kg and 100kg and are typically flown in the Open Category.
- C5: This class is for drones that must be electric-powered, not fixed-wing (unless tethered), and have a separate flight termination system.
- C6: This class includes drones that must have a system for preventing the drone from breaching the flight geography
“Chinese manufacturers already produce drones in the same classes. If South Africa wants to manufacture and export drones, adopting these classes is essential.”
Last-mile leapfrogging
Drones can do more than just speed up e-commerce. In Africa, they could fill deep logistical gaps in health care, agriculture, and emergency response.
“The need to transport medical samples from rural areas to analysis labs is urgent. Small drones can safely handle these deliveries, and micro-vertiports, based on ISO 5491, could be built on hospital rooftops,” he says.
Unlike helicopters, electric drones are quieter and emit no carbon. But powering them is another challenge.
“Passenger-carrying drones, much heavier than logistic drones, need massive amounts of energy to recharge quickly – often up to a megawatt. In areas without stable electricity grids, renewables like solar or wind could be a solution. In other words, drones should be part of a strategy encompassing not only aviation.”
Building for the sky
Integrating aerial mobility into daily life isn’t just about aircraft. It demands urban planning, community engagement, and regulatory foresight.
Accordingly, Tomasello believes that the successful integration of drones into urban mobility hinges on three urgent and practical considerations.
The first is the definition and categorisation of vertiports.
“We must categorise them – micro, medium, and large,” he says, based on ISO 5015-2.
According to Tomasello, passenger vertiports are much closer in complexity and infrastructure to traditional heliports. However, for last-mile delivery of small parcels, the requirements are far less demanding.
“For cargo, rooftops of shopping centres or hospitals could suffice to host the micro-vertiport,” Tomasello suggests, pointing to how urban real estate could be repurposed to support aerial logistics.
Secondly, he emphasises the importance of placement and access.
“An air taxi flight is expected to cost a great deal more than a ground taxi. People prepared to pay more (e.g. from a vertiport at OR Tambo to a vertiport in the city centre) want a much quicker service,” he explains.
“Therefore, the air taxi must provide a real door-to-door service (e.g. neither a long bus ride at OR Tambo to reach the vertiport, nor a long ground taxi ride at the destination), which requires careful planning of the vertiport locations.”
For Tomasello, location is everything: vertiports must be integrated into the daily flow of life.
“Vertiports must be located where people live and work,” he insists, highlighting the need to prioritise convenience and accessibility over existing aviation infrastructure.
“They need to land directly at the luxury resort or congress centre, or wherever the passenger may want to go.”
Lastly, Tomasello raises a critical concern about security protocols for drone passengers. He argues that replicating commercial aviation’s extensive airport-style security checks would be both impractical and economically unviable.
“We can’t treat every drone passenger like a commercial flight traveller,” he says.
Instead, he proposes a more streamlined solution:
“One option could be background checks at the time of registration, verified through facial recognition – a technology already available.”
Together, these three priorities – defining vertiports, ensuring practical access, and rethinking security – form a foundation for the safe and scalable deployment of aerial mobility in South Africa and beyond.
Regulation, yes. Red tape, no.
To balance innovation and oversight, Tomasello advocates streamlined rules.
“South Africa should focus its limited regulatory resources where the risks are highest – like Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights or passenger drones – and use industry assessments for low-risk operations.”
He recommends adopting international norms such as ISO 23629-12 for UAS traffic management and the JARUS Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) framework.
“Let industry lead the way on conformity, with oversight. That’s how we scale safely.”
Collaborating across continents
Tomasello sees strong potential for EU-Africa cooperation.
“The EU is open to recognising African pilot licences and supporting the conformity of drones produced in Africa for sale in the EU. Local universities and governments can help by establishing testing labs, becoming Qualified Entities, and participating in bodies regulating international standards.”
Currently, no African state is a member of ISO TC20/SC16, the global standards committee for drones.
“That must change. African voices are needed at the table,” he urges.
A sky full of opportunity
By 2030, Tomasello envisions widespread use of drones in agriculture, surveying, and logistics. And by 2050? “Fleet-managed, AI-powered drones delivering parcels across African cities and remote villages. But the starting point must be societal need – not technology for its own sake.”
His closing message is clear:
“South Africa was a pioneer in 2015. But the future is not built on yesterday’s rules. It’s time to modernise – and lead again.
“The delivery vehicle of the future may not drive up to your gate – it may descend from above. Today, we use motorcycles and bakkies for last-mile deliveries.
“Tomorrow, drones will take over many of these roles, especially where road infrastructure is poor or congested.”