As part of its 2025 agenda, the Global UTM Association (GUTMA) launched three task forces earlier this year to tackle critical obstacles in the uncrewed traffic management (UTM) ecosystem. These task forces have now delivered strategic documents and position papers that are intended to further the evolution of digital aviation.
“Each Task Force has produced a targeted deliverable, reflecting the collective expertise of GUTMA members and offering useful insights for regulators, industry stakeholders, and service providers,” the association said on November 10.
The dedicated Task Force on the Operator to UTM Service Provider Service Level Agreement (SLA) Framework has developed a globally applicable SLA template to define roles and responsibilities between operators and UTM service providers. The document outlines key service expectations and responsibilities, designed to enable reliable, timely and appropriate third-party services in a global context. Ultimately, the framework aims to harmonise UTM services and support safe, efficient BVLOS operations across borders.
Meanwhile, the dedicated EU Coordination Task Force has produced a strategic document that lists priorities and technical, operational and procedural requirements to accelerate U-space implementation in the European Union. It includes governance and coordination suggestions for how the European Commission and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) can support member states more effectively in deploying U-Space. These include EASA publishing a U-space implementation handbook, establishing U-space test and innovation zones, including industry input on potential U-space areas via the EASA IAM Hub, strengthening EUROCONTROL support to EASA, and introducing a digital/online fast-track mechanism for regulatory clarification for civil aviation authorities (CAA).
The third task force has published a position paper analysing the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed BVLOS rulemaking (Part 108 and Part 146), with a focus on regulatory and technical interoperability. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the FAA’s proposed rules for BVLOS operations, offering a detailed summary of the regulatory framework. It also includes a technical and policy analysis focused on cross-jurisdictional compatibility, highlighting potential challenges and opportunities for alignment. GUTMA emphasises the importance of leveraging existing standards and avoiding US-only requirements to ensure global harmonization, presenting a set of recommendations aimed at clarifying and harmonising the rules to support global interoperability.
Task Force members presented their findings at Harmonized Skies 2025 (Zurich, November 4-5), where EASA and CAA representatives were present (including those from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Montenegro, Singapore, Togo and the United Kingdom). In addition, during the third CAA Network meeting that took place on November 6 in Zurich, the three documents provided valuable insights and sparked discussions that spanned different regional UTM ecosystems.
GUTMA is preparing to launch a fresh round of Task Forces in 2026 with the aim of addressing specific, time-limited issues. GUTMA Task Forces are open to members of the Association.
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