Wing's UK Approval for One Pilot to Operate Four Drones: What We Know

Wing has secured UK approval for one pilot to operate up to four drones simultaneously, according to a NATS report published on 7th October 2026.

The detail emerged from a discussion at DroneX involving Wing's Praveen Raju and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). NATS did not publish the approval itself or identify its conditions, so the report confirms what was said publicly rather than the precise regulatory scope of Wing's permission.

The distinction matters because the CAA's current UK SORA guidance still identifies Multiple Simultaneous Operations (MSO) as an activity for which policy has not yet been developed.

What are multiple simultaneous operations?

MSO means one remote pilot operating more than one unmanned aircraft at the same time. For example, a delivery operation might have several aircraft in flight while one remote pilot supervises their progress and responds when intervention is needed.

That is different from a company employing several remote pilots who each operate one aircraft. It is also not necessarily the same as a coordinated swarm: aircraft may be undertaking separate flights rather than moving as a single formation.

As the number of aircraft increases, the pilot's job changes. Instead of directly managing one flight, they may need to supervise several automated flights and respond to problems affecting more than one aircraft.

What has Wing been approved to do?

In its report on DroneX, NATS states that Wing has secured UK approval for one pilot to operate up to four aircraft.

Wing's Praveen Raju contrasted this with the company's United States operations, saying:

“In the US, we’re actually operating one pilot to 80 drones.”

That US figure is not a UK approval or a target announced by the CAA. It illustrates the difference between the reported UK permission and Wing's operations in another regulatory system.

NATS also quoted the CAA's James de Beauvoir-Tupper on the human-factors implications of one person supervising a fleet. These include the pilot's awareness, ability to intervene and capacity to manage simultaneous events.

NATS has not stated when Wing received its UK approval, whether it covers routine commercial services or trials, which sites or aircraft are covered, or which application and assessment route the CAA used.

What do the current UK rules say?

Under the Open Category, a remote pilot cannot operate multiple unmanned aircraft simultaneously. Operators cannot treat a standard PDRA-01 permission as approval for one pilot to supervise several aircraft either.

More complex operations need the appropriate Specific Category permission and must comply with its conditions.

UK SORA is the CAA's normal assessment method for eligible bespoke Specific Category applications, but not every proposed operation can be submitted through the standard online process.

The CAA's Operations covered by UK SORA page places MSO under “Operations where policy has not been developed” and instructs operators considering such activity to email [email protected] before applying.

Wing's reported approval does not change that published instruction. It also does not mean that a 1:4 pilot-to-aircraft ratio is now generally available to other operators.

Why is operating four drones different from operating one?

The issue is not simply whether the software can display four aircraft on one screen.

A regulator assessing MSO may need to consider what happens when two aircraft need attention at once, whether the pilot can recognise and prioritise alerts, what the automation can handle without intervention, and how responsibility is divided between the remote pilot and supporting personnel.

The operational environment matters too. Four flights in a tightly controlled trial may present a different safety case from four routine delivery flights across different locations.

Without Wing's approval conditions or supporting safety case, it is not possible to say which mitigations the CAA accepted.

Does this establish a precedent?

It is a useful publicly reported example of UK regulatory acceptance of an MSO arrangement. It is not a published general policy, exemption or standard authorisation pathway.

The report shows that a UK approval for a 1:4 arrangement has been discussed publicly by a major operator. It does not establish that other operators can use the same ratio, nor that the CAA has finalised its wider MSO policy.

The key outstanding questions are the date of approval, the legal and assessment route, the permitted operating environment, and any restrictions on aircraft, automation and pilot responsibilities.

What should UK operators do?

Anyone planning to have one remote pilot operate multiple aircraft should discuss the concept with the CAA before starting an application, using [email protected], as directed by its published guidance.

Operators should not rely on Wing's reported permission as evidence that their own operation is authorised. The relevant permission must cover their proposed operation and its specific conditions.

For now, the development is significant because it provides a concrete UK example of MSO approval while the CAA's general policy remains under development.

Sources

• NATS, Altitude Live at DroneX: From drone operations to an integrated airspace, 7th October 2026
• CAA, Operations covered by UK SORA
• CAA, UK SORA-based Operational Authorisations