SARAJEVO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will tighten drone regulations through amendments to the BiH Air Navigation Services Agency (BHANSA) Law, aiming to boost airspace safety and modernize air traffic control, BHANSA announced Thursday.
The agency's Air Traffic Management Department recorded 2,957 drone flights within 10 km of Sarajevo International Airport between December 2024 and July 2025, an average of 13 per day. In June alone, there were more than 540 flights, including 368 near encounters with piloted aircraft, the closest just 215 meters away.
BHANSA Director Davorin Primorac said the current 15-year-old legal framework is outdated and inadequate for today's safety needs. The amendments will pave the way for "U-space", an automated unmanned aircraft traffic management system aligned with European Union (EU) standards, ensuring safe integration of drones in civil, commercial, agricultural, logistics, and emergency operations.
Under the new rules, the BiH Civil Aviation Directorate will align regulations with EU standards, while BHANSA will oversee operational functions such as real-time monitoring, conflict prevention, and issuing flight permits. The U-space system will also connect to European networks, enabling cross-border drone missions and real-time data exchange.
