CAA UK SORA Update

Dear Stakeholder,

We are writing to you as an interested UAS stakeholder to provide you with further updates on the introduction of UK SORA.

Regards,

Head of RPAS (Applications and Oversight)

Manager FS&I Policy

UK Specific Operation Risk Assessment (UK SORA) policy and go live
UK Specific Operation Risk Assessment (UK SORA) will be published week commencing 3 March 2025. The policy will go live at the same time the UK SORA Application Service launches on the 23 April 2025.

UK SORA becomes Acceptable Means of Compliance to Article 11 of UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the 23 April 2025.

UK SORA will make risk assessments for UAS operators more transparent and consistent, while the new digital UK SORA Application Service is designed to deliver a more streamlined application process.

UK SORA is a more structured approach to conducting a risk assessment for UAS operations and is based on the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) SORAv2.5. 

What does this mean for current PDRA-01 based Operational Authorisation(OA) holders? PDRA-01 OAs are excluded from this update. PDRA-01 is not impacted by the introduction of the UK SORA Policy.

How will a SORA based application differ from an OSC based application?
A UK SORA based application has several benefits over the existing OSC based method.

• It uses an online digital application service that makes the application process easier to complete by guiding applicants through each of the SORA steps.
• CAP 722A is primarily a qualitative methodology and SORA is a more quantitative methodology. This means that there will be less subjectivity and more transparency in the evaluation of your application.
• The UK SORA application service enables applicants to ascertain the mitigation methods they will have to demonstrate using an online calculator, before choosing to proceed with the full assessment journey.
• The SORA is split into two phases. This removes the current necessity for applicants to provide all assurance evidence at the start of the application.
• The SORA framework and online platform will give you confidence that you are providing the evidence required to support the application.

You can find out more about UK SORA on the CAA website.

Key dates

• Week commencing 3 March 2025: UK SORA policy published but not in force.
• We will make the policy available in the CAA regulatory library. We will email you to let you know when this is published
• Week commencing 3 March 2025: The Remote Pilot Competency Policy will be published.
• 23 April 2025: The UK SORA Application Service will go live, and the UK SORA Policy will come into force.

How are you helping current OSC OA holders move to UK SORA? Current holders of an OSC have been contacted separately and sent additional information on the move to UK SORA.

How can I find out more about UK SORA?
We are planning a programme of support over the next year to help operators move to the SORA methodology.

This will start with two webinars which will be published on the CAA YouTube channel to support the launch of UK SORA:

• Introduction to UK SORA – an overview of UK SORA and how to apply for an OA following the UK SORA methodology, including when you may need to interact with the future Remote Pilot Competency scheme and RAE(F)s.
• Transitioning OSC-based applications to UK SORA – an overview of the key differences between OSC / UKSORA risk assessment methodology and how to transition applications to maintain continuity of operations

These webinars will be launched in line with the UK SORA Policy in March 2025.

Following this, we are planning further updates to the industry and support to help operators through the process of using SORA for the first time.

I am starting a UK SORA application. Can I get specific advice from the CAA? We encourage operators who are planning to apply for an OA using UK SORA to contact us as early as possible using [email protected]. We will then set up a call to learn more about your planned operation and provide advice on your specific application.

We are committed to providing further help and support as we approach the implementation of UK SORA and the UK SORA Application Service. If there are any questions you have about the rollout or application of UK SORA on your operation, please email them to [email protected].