FAA Part 108
Proposed US BVLOS drone regulation; missed March 2026 deadline, 3,000+ public comments
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How much longer will the FAA's BVLOS delay suppress US commercial drone scaling?
Latest on FAA Part 108
- What is FAA Part 108?
- The proposed US rule for beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations. Would replace the current waiver system with standardised permits, enabling commercial drone delivery at scale.Source: Federal Register / FAA
- Can drones fly beyond line of sight?
- Currently only with individual FAA waivers under Part 107. Part 108 would create a permanent framework for BVLOS, but the final rule has been delayed by over 3,000 public comments.Source: background
- Why is Part 108 taking so long?
- The FAA reopened the comment period in January 2026 after significant stakeholder feedback on airspace integration, detect-and-avoid requirements, and liability. Over 3,000 comments were received.Source: Federal Register / FAA
- What is the difference between Part 107 and Part 108?
- Part 107 governs current small drone ops and requires case-by-case waivers for BVLOS. Part 108 would create standardised permits and type certificates for routine BVLOS flights.Source: background
- When will drone deliveries be legal everywhere?
- Companies like Zipline currently use individual FAA waivers for each corridor. Part 108 would enable national-scale routes, but the final rule is delayed into mid-2026 at earliest.Source: background
Background
FAA Part 108 is the US Federal Aviation Administration's proposed regulatory framework for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operations, covering unmanned aircraft weighing up to 1,320 pounds. It would create standardised operating permits and type certificates replacing the current waiver-by-waiver system under Part 107, under which each BVLOS operator must seek individual FAA approval for each flight corridor. The rule is foundational for commercial drone scaling: without it, companies like Zipline, medical delivery operators, and infrastructure inspection services cannot expand routes at national pace.
The rule was targeted for publication between March and April 2026 under executive order timelines, but had not been published as of late March 2026. The FAA reopened the comment period in January 2026 after receiving significant stakeholder feedback; over 3,000 public comments were submitted, covering airspace integration, detect-and-avoid requirements, and liability frameworks. The comment reopening added months to the finalisation timeline, pushing final rule publication into mid-2026 at the earliest.
Every week of delay extends the waiver bottleneck. Operators with pending route applications face growing backlogs; investors in commercial drone businesses face regulatory uncertainty that suppresses capital deployment. The rule's eventual publication will be the single most consequential US regulatory event for the commercial drone sector since the original Part 107 framework in 2016.
