Drone delivery firm Skyports is set to expand its service across Europe after being awarded a self-authorisation certificate for a number of its flights.
The firm has obtained a Light UAS Operator Certificate from the Irish Aviation Authority, the first certificate of its kind issued by an EU regulator. It is recognised across all European Union Aviation Safety Agency member countries and allows operators to conduct flights without first submitting a declaration or obtaining authorisation from aviation authorities.
Skyports is only one of a handful of drone operators globally to have been granted the certification. As an LUC holder, Skyports will be able to expand its drone delivery service within the medical, maritime and logistics sectors across Europe.
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Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, said: “The Light UAS Operator Certificate creates new opportunities for Skyports in Europe – one of our key markets. Obtaining certification is a landmark moment for our drone delivery business that will enable us to deploy our service more efficiently and meet our customers’ needs more quickly. Receipt of an LUC is also an enormous privilege for us as a safety organisation and reflects our commitment to achieving the very highest safety standards wherever we operate.”
Aviation regulator Diarmuid Ó Conghaile said: “This is an exciting development for the European drone sector; in this case providing Skyports with ground-breaking access to a European market of 500 million potential customers.
“Drone services are an increasingly important part of the commercial aviation landscape and provide a competitive alternative to traditional service delivery. We look forward to working with the industry to facilitate UAS innovation and competitiveness with the highest safety and security standards, ultimately providing benefits to consumers.”
Skyports’ drone delivery services have experienced great success in the UK and other locations. Projects include the UK’s first Covid-19 test drone delivery service in Scotland with the NHS as well as the operation of an inter-island medical drone delivery service between the Isles of Scilly for Royal Mail.
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