BVLOS Drone Flights Are Finally Here: What the FAA's Part 108 Means for Operators

The Regulatory Milestone That Changes Everything

For years, one rule above all others constrained the commercial drone industry: operators had to maintain a direct visual line of sight with their aircraft. That constraint is now being systematically dismantled. In August 2025, the FAA released a landmark proposed rule — Part 108 — specifically designed to govern Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations at scale. The final rule is expected to be published in spring 2026, and its implications are far-reaching.

Why BVLOS Changes the Business Model

BVLOS operations unlock missions that were simply not viable under traditional VLOS rules. Long-range package delivery becomes logistically feasible. Infrastructure inspections across pipelines, railways, and power corridors can be conducted routinely without deploying multiple ground crews to maintain visual contact. Large agricultural fields can be mapped comprehensively in a single mission. A 2024 Phoenix solar farm survey achieved only 60% coverage efficiency under VLOS restrictions — the same operation under BVLOS would cover the full site.

What Part 108 Actually Requires

Part 108 mirrors the structure of Part 107 (the existing framework for commercial drone operations) but is tailored for BVLOS-specific risk mitigation. Operators will need to demonstrate approved detect-and-avoid capabilities, maintain Remote ID broadcasting at all times, follow approved operational safety cases, and in many scenarios operate with specific aircraft airworthiness documentation. The rule introduces a performance-based approach rather than a one-size-fits-all requirement, allowing different mission types — delivery, agriculture, inspection — to have appropriate compliance pathways.

Global Parallel: The EU's U-Space Framework

The United States is not acting in isolation. The European Union has been expanding its U-space air traffic management system, which creates structured digital corridors for drone operations in urban and peri-urban environments. Asia is similarly fast-tracking autonomous operations approvals. According to industry analysts at The Drone U, by 2026 more states in the U.S. will support organized autonomous flight corridors, and pilots will need to integrate with UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) platforms as a standard operating practice — not an exception.

Industries Positioned to Benefit Most

Energy utilities stand to gain enormously, with the ability to conduct routine BVLOS inspections of transmission towers, wind turbines, and pipelines replacing costly helicopter surveys. In logistics, companies like Zipline — which has already surpassed two million autonomous deliveries — are expanding operations to new U.S. cities in 2026 on the strength of BVLOS approvals. For agriculture, BVLOS enables drone spraying and mapping of contiguous large-acreage farms without relay pilots positioned across the field. Emergency response agencies are using BVLOS-capable drones for search-and-rescue in remote terrain where visual tracking is impractical.

What Pilots Need to Do Now

Operators eyeing BVLOS operations should begin building their safety cases now, before the final rule is published. This means documenting current operational procedures, assessing detect-and-avoid technologies, ensuring Remote ID compliance, and establishing relationships with UTM service providers. The operators who will move fastest when Part 108 is finalized are those who have already prepared their infrastructure, staff training, and airspace coordination workflows.