Flights that fall outside the conditions of the Open category, such as in a town centre close to uninvolved persons, require a risk assessment. The European method for this is called SORA: Specific Operations Risk Assessment. EASA incorporated the new version 2.5 into the European rules through ED Decision 2025/018/R of 29 September 2025. Since June 2026 it has also been included in the Easy Access Rules for drones.
What SORA does
SORA assesses two risks: the risk to people on the ground and the risk to other air traffic. Together they determine an assurance level, the SAIL. The higher that level, the stricter the requirements for the operator, pilot, aircraft and procedures. On the basis of that assessment, the national aviation authority, in Belgium the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), grants an operational authorisation.
What changes in version 2.5
- Ground risk. The Ground Risk Class now runs from 1 to 10 and is calculated from the maximum dimension and speed of the drone and the population density in the operational area. That is more quantitative than before.
- Air risk. Determining the air risk now follows a fixed sequence of steps.
- Safety objectives. The number of Operational Safety Objectives has been reduced to seventeen, each with a robustness level.
- Adjacent area. What happens if the drone ends up outside the operational area is now a separate assessment. It takes account of the population density around the operational area and the presence of crowds within one kilometre.
Transition period
Each member state decides for itself how long applications under the old version 2.0 will still be accepted. Those periods differ from country to country. Existing authorisations remain valid until they expire; on renewal or a substantial change, the new method applies.
What this means for you as a client
Little in day-to-day practice, and that is the intention. What counts: an operator flying in an urban or complex environment must be able to show a valid operational authorisation based on an up-to-date risk assessment. Ask for it. HOVVR flies in the Specific category on the basis of a SORA authorisation and keeps its documentation up to date with the version in force.
Read also: Five questions for your drone provider before an HSE audit
Sources: EASA, Easy Access Rules for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, June 2026 revision · EASA ED Decision 2025/018/R.