Enda Walsh

Biography

Enda Walsh is Manager of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Division at the Irish Aviation Authority, where he leads the development of regulatory frameworks that enable safe, scalable, and innovative drone operations. With over a decade of experience across aviation regulation, airspace management, aeronautical information, instrument flight procedure design, and air traffic control, he has played a key role in Ireland’s transition to EU UAS regulation and in laying the groundwork for advanced UAS integration, including U‑space.

Enda’s work is strongly focused on using regulation as an enabler, supporting complex operational use cases, developing risk‑based oversight approaches, and working closely with industry, academia, and public bodies to unlock the socio‑economic potential of UAS while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security.

He represents Ireland at European level through the EASA UAS Technical Body and JARUS, contributes to national drone innovation initiatives, and has served as an advisor to multiple European research and smart‑city programmes focused on the future of aerial mobility.

A former Irish Defence Forces officer, Enda retired as a Captain after service in both the Air Corps and Infantry, including overseas deployments. Earlier in his career he worked as a software engineer and retains a strong interest in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and cryptography, and their application to autonomous and aviation systems.

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