Drone docks hold the promise of making operations in fields such as utilities inspections, transportation monitoring, and public safety much more efficient. But, as with all things related to uncrewed operations, regulatory compliance is central to the success of any application.

To address regulatory issues around docked drone operations, NestGen 2025 offered the panel discussion “Setting up an EASA-Compliant Remote Command Center for Docked Drone Operation.” Panelists Marco Ducci from EuroUSC Italia, Ludovic Pelletey of Dronavia, SkeyDrone’s Bjorn Geus, Nicola Marietti of the Aiview Group, and Irving Zhang from DJI Enterprise engaged in a wide-ranging discussion of the challenges and solutions for complying with rules around drone operations in general and for docked drone operations specifically.

The panelists emphasized the need for ensuring safe operations and keeping up with technological advancements. In addition, they addressed the importance of situational awareness and staying current with evolving regulatory frameworks that support drone operations.

DJI’s Zhang spoke to difficulties of understanding drone regulations in different regions. “It's really complicated to have those communications between us as a drone manufacturer and directly with a national aviation authority and to understand how the regulation works and how we can help our drone operators,” he explained. “We need to basically show customers how to plan a mission, how to launch the mission, how to analyze the data. It's complicated for us.”

To address these challenges, the panelists discussed the many ways drone operators can ensure compliance. For example, Sky Drone's Gues talked about the "detect and deconflict" framework for integrating drones into shared airspace, citing the successful operations that have been introduced at the Port of Antwerp. Also, Dronavia's Pelletey explained how flight termination systems, parachutes, and geocaging solutions can be deployed by operations to help drone operators stay within the rules.