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Sophie O’Sullivan of the CAA said the trials mark a ‘significant step forward’ in integrating drones safely into UK airspace.
The UK aviation authority has selected six projects – including one by Amazon – to trial drones for use in deliveries, infrastructure inspections and emergency services.
In an announcement today (15 August), the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that the trials will see drones being used in “everyday life” as it makes progress on plans to modernise UK airspace and enable integration of new technologies.
The idea is to trial the safe deployment of drones flying beyond what is known as the visual line of sight, after which drones can no longer be seen by those flying them.
Sophie O’Sullivan, director of future of flight at the CAA, said that the trials mark a “significant step forward” in integrating drones safely into UK airspace.
“By supporting projects ranging from consumer deliveries to critical infrastructure inspections, we are gathering essential data to shape future policies and regulations,” O’Sullivan said.
Last October, Amazon expanded its Prime Air drone delivery service to the UK with deliveries expected at the time to commence in late 2024. The e-commerce giant now has the green light to trial its drones, paving the way for the service to become mainstream.
Simon Masters, deputy director of Future Flight Challenge at UK Research and Innovation, said that his team will work with the CAA on accelerating the introduction of drone operations in the UK.
“These have the potential to transform how we deliver goods and provide services, particularly in less well-connected regions. These new sandbox projects are a great step towards realising these ambitions,” Masters said.
The new trials will also help develop plans for how drones can be safely integrated with other airspace users, the authority said in its statement.
Other projects selected for the trial include Airspection, which aims to provide reliable drone service for offshore wind infrastructure, and Project Lifeline, which aims to use drones for emergency medical services, including the delivery of critical medical equipment and enhancing first responders’ effectiveness with live camera feeds.
An EU-funded project called Sunrise, which started in 2022, is looking at remote tools such as drones to protect critical infrastructure, by ensuring it can be monitored and fixed without the need for physical human intervention. The aim is to ensure greater availability, reliability and continuity of critical infrastructures, in the face of major risks such as global pandemics.
Ireland is also home to several drone projects to boost existing services. For example, drone technology being developed at Tyndall National Institute in University College Cork could be deployed for maritime surveillance along the coast of Ireland.
Earlier this summer, the Dublin City Council published its first strategy on drone technology that will see the creation of a dedicated drones unit to oversee their use in emergency services and building inspections.
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