2024 was an eventful year in the commercial drone industry. Progress was made on the regulatory front, with an increase in BVLOS approvals worldwide and the prospect of new policies that could pave the way for greater use of uncrewed systems. Meanwhile, many companies and organizations found new and better ways to integrate drones in fields such as agriculture and public safety. Also, in the US, legislation concerning a possible ban on Chinese-made UAVs was closely watched – and hotly debated.

Here's a look back at the four top commercial drone stories of 2024.

Possible Ban on Chinese-Made Drones

In the US, everyone involved in the drone industry closely monitored government actions around the potential banning of Chinese-made drones. Early in 2024, Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced the Countering CCP Drones Act in the US House of Representatives, a bill that would add vehicles made by DJI, Autel, and others to the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) Covered List, meaning that new models of DJI drones would be effectively prohibited from operating on communications networks in the US. By year’s end, language from the bill had been added to the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the US Senate and awaits signing by President Biden.

Part 108 and the Future of BVLOS Flights

After President Biden signed the FAA reauthorization Act of 2024 last May, the FAA was given until September 16 to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for its regulation of uncrewed flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator, also known as “Part 108.” Unfortunately, that deadline came and went without an NPRM. Heading into 2015, the drone industry is anxiously awaiting action on Part 108, but changes at the FAA, including news that administrator Mike Whitaker is stepping down, could further delay progress on BVLOS rules. 

The Benefits of Drone Operations in Agriculture

One of the most popular stories on the Commercial UAV News site in 2024 was actually published in July 2023. And that’s no surprise. As detailed in How Can You Measure the ROI of Your Drone-Based Farming Program?, farmers who use drones “claim improvements in operations, as well as planning and design by using drones to digitize their farms.” Also, UAVs are great tools for monitoring crops and livestock, assessing and extracting soil data, smart spraying, and seeding/planting—all of which lead to an increase in ROI.

Here’s a link to that story and a few others that demonstrate the benefits of drone operations in agriculture.

Increased Adoption of Drones in Public Safety

Over the past year, emergency services and law enforcement agencies around the world relied more and more on UAV technology to respond to disasters, perform crucial surveillance work, and enhance public safety. The ability of drones to respond quickly to emergency situations, collect vast amounts of valuable data, and go to places that are too dangerous for humans has led government officials and public safety agencies to step up their use of uncrewed systems. Here’s a look back at some important use cases and innovations.