Safety Management is basically about understanding, managing and even controlling the risks related to a certain activity. For years, as ANSP, we’ve been analysing the impact of changes on the ATM-System. ATM stands for Air Traffic Management and exists in this context out of four components, being People, Procedures and Equipment, all in a defined Environment.

The world of aviation is known to be conservative for various valid reasons and that is without a doubt a good thing. We never walk on one night ice! One can easily state that our "Environment" is rather stable. This characteristic allowed the Aviation - and Air Traffic Control Operational Managers and Safety Experts to focus on the three other components and, as such, obtain a high and mature level of understanding. Only the highest levels of understanding allow control of the risks.

With the introduction of drones into the world, the ATM System as described above, is obviously changing. Drones and their operators, which most of the time do not comply to manned aviation standards, are injected into the ATM Environment and are therefore subject of Change - and Safety Management. This new reality triggers unavoidably an adaptation of the three other components. People have to be trained, Procedures and Equipment have to be adapted with regard to cooperative but also to non-cooperative drones.

Today is for Safety Experts all about understanding all aspects of the UTM-System and prepare for the further integration of UTM into ATM. This will require a continued close collaboration between all stakeholders. The old ones and the new ones. One of the challenges will be to continue to learn, at high pace, from each other’s expertise, to fully understand the risks and to be able to control them, always and under all circumstances.