What are the main risks and challenges associated with HAO?
Answer
Higher Airspace Operations present several specific risks and challenges that differ from those of conventional aviation. These include the safe integration of such operations into the existing airspace system, including issues of segregation where necessary; questions related to national sovereignty and cross-border coordination; and safety and risk management aspects such as collision and ground risks, detect-and-avoid capabilities, and human factors. Additional challenges relate to potential environmental impacts, cybersecurity and system reliability, as well as regulatory and legal uncertainty resulting from the absence of a dedicated and harmonised framework. Addressing these challenges in a proportionate and coherent manner is a core objective of the Higher Airspace Operations project.