For years, commercial drone operations have been limited by one major restriction: flights had to remain within the visual line of sight (VLOS) of the operator. While this rule ensured safety during the early years of drone adoption, it also held back the industry from scaling into its full potential.

That is now changing. Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations are no longer rare, experimental waivers—they are becoming the defining capability of the next generation of drones. With regulatory progress, new technologies, and strong industry demand, BVLOS is poised to unlock the real economic value of drones over the next decade.

1. Why BVLOS Matters

The economic case for BVLOS is clear:

• Long-distance coverage: Critical for inspecting pipelines, railways, and power lines that stretch for hundreds of miles.
• Scalable delivery networks: Drone delivery isn’t viable if every mission requires a visual observer watching from the ground.
• Emergency response: First responders can launch drones into dangerous or inaccessible areas long before personnel arrive.
• Agriculture and mining: Large-scale mapping and spraying become efficient only when drones can operate across vast areas without direct human oversight.

Simply put: most of the high-value drone use cases require BVLOS. Without it, the industry is stuck in small, local applications.

2. Regulatory Shifts

United States

In the U.S., the FAA historically required waivers for BVLOS flights, making them cumbersome and inconsistent. However, a major step forward came in 2025, when the FAA released its BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The proposed framework introduces:

• A new Part 108 for routine BVLOS operations.
• Performance-based standards instead of rigid prescriptive rules.
• Third-party service approvals (under a proposed Part 146) to handle functions like detect-and-avoid and conformance monitoring.
• TSA oversight for security requirements.

This shift signals the FAA’s intent to make BVLOS the rule, not the exception.

Europe

Europe is moving in parallel through its U-space regulations (effective from 2023 onward), which establish digital traffic management services for drones. By 2025, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued the first U-space service provider certificate, marking a milestone in scaling safe BVLOS operations across designated airspace.

Global Momentum

Other regions—Canada, Australia, Singapore, and parts of Africa—are also piloting frameworks that make BVLOS feasible. Globally, regulators are converging on a model where digital infrastructure (UTM/U-space), remote ID, and performance-based safety cases form the foundation for scalable BVLOS.

3. Technologies Enabling BVLOS

BVLOS is not just a regulatory challenge—it’s also a technological one. Several advances are converging to make it safe and reliable:

• Detect-and-Avoid (DAA): Sensors and algorithms that help drones autonomously recognize and avoid other aircraft or obstacles.
• Remote ID: Digital license plates that allow authorities to identify drones in flight.
• Resilient Communications: Multi-link connectivity (cellular, satellite, RF backup) ensures secure and continuous control.
• UTM/U-space Services: Cloud-based systems that manage drone traffic, provide real-time airspace data, and authorize flights.
• AI and Automation: Machine learning enables autonomous decision-making, predictive maintenance, and intelligent mission management.

Together, these technologies replace the human eye with a digital safety net.

4. Industry Use Cases Driving BVLOS

• Energy & Utilities: BVLOS drones patrol power lines, wind farms, and pipelines, detecting issues before they become failures.
• Logistics: Companies like UPS and Zipline already hold certificates to operate delivery drones, paving the way for nationwide BVLOS networks.
• Agriculture: Large farms use drones to survey crops, apply fertilizers, and monitor irrigation—tasks only practical with BVLOS.
• Public Safety: Police, fire, and disaster relief teams deploy drones for rapid situational awareness in areas unsafe for humans.
• Mining & Construction: BVLOS enables continuous surveying of large-scale sites, improving safety and reducing costs.

5. Challenges Ahead

While BVLOS promises huge benefits, challenges remain:

• Standardization: Different regions are moving at different speeds, making cross-border operations complex.
• Cost of compliance: Detect-and-avoid systems, redundant comms, and UTM integrations add expenses for operators.
• Public acceptance: Communities must trust BVLOS drones not to compromise privacy or safety.
• Cybersecurity: Always-connected drones present new risks that must be managed with encryption and authentication.

6. The Future of BVLOS

The next decade will be defined by the transition from one-off waivers to routine, scalable BVLOS operations. As regulations mature and technology proves itself, we’ll see:

• Drone highways and corridors for logistics and inspection missions.
• Centralized drone operations centers where a single pilot supervises multiple drones.
• Full integration with manned aviation, supported by UTM/U-space.
• Expansion into everyday life, from medical deliveries to smart city infrastructure monitoring.

Conclusion

The rise of BVLOS is the inflection point for the drone industry. With regulatory green lights emerging and enabling technologies maturing, the true economic potential of drones is finally within reach.

In the coming years, BVLOS won’t just be a special waiver—it will be the operating standard that allows drones to move from niche applications to critical infrastructure across industries.

The question is no longer if BVLOS will scale, but how quickly it will transform the skies above us.