REGULATORY APPROACHES TO THE USE OF UAS IN PUBLIC SPACE: AIRSPACE ZONING MODELS

Abstract

The article systematizes approaches to integrating unmanned aircraft into the public space, focusing on airspace zoning models and related legal and technical regimes. It explains how operational categories, digital flight management services, remote identification of aircraft, and the openness and formats of restriction data fit together. The European model is compared with U.S. practices, and the Ukrainian wartime and post-war context is outlined. It is demonstrated that zoning creates a governable framework: legally defined geographical zones, identification requirements, and risk-oriented authorization of operations are combined with digital services enabling interaction among service providers, air traffic services, and operators. For municipalities, a three-tier implementation model (legal, technological, and procedural layers) and a phased harmonization roadmap are proposed, with key elements being the publication of geozones in a shared machine-readable format, pilot sectors for digital services, and the deployment of remote identification. The practical value lies in providing clear evaluation criteria, examples of urban scenarios, and typical administrative decisions that reduce costs for the state and operators while increasing safety, transparency, and respect for citizens’ privacy.