BVLOS Timeline: A Decade of Delays and Incremental Progress
The push to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations has spanned over a decade, marked by bureaucratic inertia and repeated missed deadlines. Here’s how the rulemaking process has unfolded:
2010s: Early Foundations
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2016: FAA first acknowledges need for BVLOS rules in its UAS Integration Roadmap, but no concrete action follows.
2021–2022: Advisory Committee Efforts
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June 2021: FAA establishes the BVLOS Advisory Rulemaking Committee (ARC) with ~90 industry stakeholders.
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March 2022: ARC submits a 381-page report with 70 recommendations, including risk-based standards, simplified approvals for low-risk operations, and airspace integration pathways.
2023–2024: Legislative Deadlines Set (and Missed)
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May 2024: Congress passes the FAA Reauthorization Act, mandating:
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A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) by September 16, 2024.
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A final rule by January 2026.
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August 2024: FAA Deputy Administrator Katie Thomson pledges the NPRM will publish by December 2024.
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September 16, 2024: FAA misses the NPRM deadline, citing interagency coordination challenges.
Late 2024: Regulatory Limbo
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November 2024: Draft rule enters review at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), typically a 90-day process.
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December 2024: FAA leadership insists the NPRM is “on track” for release by early 2025, but provides no specifics.
2025: Mounting Uncertainty
As of this week, the NPRM remains unpublished. FAA reiterates commitment to the January 2026 final rule deadline but faces challenges, including staffing shortages and critical vacancies in FAA’s rulemaking office, and potential regulatory freezes during the 2025 presidential transition
Companies like Zipline and Ameriflight, which have relied on waivers for years, warn that prolonged delays could shift investment overseas.
The Long Road Ahead?
While Secretary Duffy’s recent comments suggest momentum, the FAA’s track record fuels skepticism. For context, the Remote ID rule (finalized in 2021) took 4 years to implement after its NPRM. The Part 107 small drone rule (2016) required 6 years of revisions to expand basic operations like nighttime flights.
Stakeholders now question whether the FAA can deliver BVLOS rules before 2027—despite Congress’ 2026 deadline.
This timeline underscores a stark reality: even with legislative mandates and industry consensus, advancing drone regulations remains a slow, fragmented process. As Duffy noted, the U.S. risks ceding leadership if it cannot translate urgency into action..
