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“Transport Canada has recently published regulations that represent a big step forward in this space,” says Alan Chapman, Director of RPAS Traffic Management at NAV CANADA. “Starting this fall, we are excited to begin supporting drone pilots in planning low-risk beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations using NAV Drone.”

These sorts of operations would previously have required labour-intensive special authorization from Transport Canada, requiring a detailed case-by-case review.

This is a big change for drone users in Canada and will require the NAV Drone app to evolve as well. Although many aspects of these drone regulations won’t come into effect until November 4, 2025, NAV CANADA is preparing early with a major update to NAV Drone in the spring.

“To make sure that we give drone pilots the best app experience possible as we continue to scale operations and add new capabilities, we needed some changes now that will pave the way for our future,” explains Chapman.

This update, scheduled to go live on June 3, 2025 will include upgrades such as:

• An updated flow for operation planning
• Use of operating weight instead of MTOW to determine a drone’s weight category
• Support for Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) planning
• An updated HTML-based flight reporting view
• New map overlay data visualizations
• User interface improvements across the app

If you use the NAV Drone app, make sure to mark June 3, 2025 on your calendar, and leave a bit more time than usual for your operation planning that day as you update the app and get familiar with the changes published on Transport Canada’s Drone Safety page.

We will also be updating our support documentation for the new version of the app to help you hit the ground running.