Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has released a Temporary Management Instruction (TMI) that outlines how and when it uses the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) methodology when assessing complex drone operations.
CASA says the TMI signals its move and timeframes toward a more structured, transparent and local approach to drone safety in Australia.
CASA currently uses a modified version of SORA with elements from both version 2.0 and 2.5, which is already in effect in TMI-2024-03. “We’re working towards implementing a consistent, transparent and efficient regulatory assessment framework to suit Australia’s environment and operating conditions,” the authority said regarding the latest TMI.
Industry can continue to use SORA version 2.0 and TMI 2024-03, until CASA advises that application assessments under version 2.0 have ceased. The ground risk assessment method and mitigations in TMI 2024-03 will remain unchanged as they are already adopted from version 2.5 and validated by CASA.
“We’re not expecting every operator to become a SORA expert,” CASA said. “Instead, our goal is to build SORA into the application process itself, making it easier for operators to comply without needing deep technical knowledge of the framework.”
CASA is currently reviewing and validating SORA version 2.5. Guidance, training, templates and tools are being prepared to support the rollout. The authority expects to notify operators and provide clear instructions on any required updates by the end of June 2026, as the transition completes.
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