After being accepted into the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Regulatory Sandbox, drone delivery service provider Skyports will begin testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in non-segregated airspace. 

Specializing in operating end-to-end drone deliveries within the medical, e-commerce and logistics sectors, Skyports, along with the UK CAA, will explore how drones controlled out-of-sight of the remote pilot can be granted regulatory approvals to fly safely within airspace that is shared with other aircraft, which will be crucial for permanent drone deliveries to become a reality.

“Using drone deliveries within supply chains can create significant time and cost savings,” says Duncan Walker, chief executive officer at Skyports.

“The current COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the role that unmanned aircraft applications can play in keeping the flow of goods moving, especially medical products, limiting human contact and supplying hard-to-reach communities.”

During the trial, Skyports will collaborate with technology partners Iris Automation and Thales, and environmental partner RSK. Skyports’ drones will be equipped with Casia, which is Iris Automation’s computer-vision-based Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) technology. Casia will help the drones avoid mid-air collisions by allowing them to automatically understand the surrounding skies and independently react as if a pilot were on board.

Through its integrated UAS, SOARIZON, Thales will help Skyports with mission planning and flight management. Thales Remote ID will also be fitted to the drone so the aircraft can be tracked, providing what the entities describe as “cutting-edge, secure remote electronic identification.”

Finally, RSK will offer its skills and expertise in environmental assessment, such as noise, air quality and carbon and social impact strategies.

“We are delighted to start this new collaboration with Skyports and its partners, and working together to explore requirements under which regulatory approval of BVLOS operations could be granted,” says Frédéric Laugère, Innovation Services Lead at the UK Civil Aviation Authority. 

“The public and the industry will undoubtedly benefit from the findings we generate and the insights we gain.”

Launched in April 2019, the Regulatory Sandbox was established by the UK CAA “to create an environment where innovation in aviation can be explored in line with UK CAA core principles of safety, security and consumer protection.” Through the program, industry can test and trial innovative aviation technologies in a safe and controlled environment. Other aviation innovators in the Sandbox include Amazon, Volocopter, Altitude Angel, NATS and sees.ai.