By Philip Butterworth-Hayes
U-space services are unlikely to arrive in the Czech Republic before 2027, according to speakers at Dronecon Prague, held on 3 April this year.
The development of a digital airspace map for the effective development of U-space services is almost complete, said Jan Klas,Director General of the Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic and work was underway to understand how the risk assessment process will be developed and the service priorities identified. Defining the exact roles of potential U-space service providers will probably be undertaken next year.
At the same event LOM PRAHA, a state owned aerospace support and infrastructure company, signed two two memoranda of cooperation, one with Tomáš Jelínek from FlyinDiamonds and then with Lukáš Brchl from Dronetag. LOM PRAHA operates of two airports – Přerov-Bochoř and Plzeň-Líně – and the MoUs are aimed at extending services at the airport to drone testing and pilot training.
This was the second year of the Dronecon event and featured presentations from Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic and Julie Garland, JEDA President. Delegates heard presentations on how drone operations and U-space services will be developed over the next few years and the roles of “polygon” testing programmes to extend beyond visual line of sight operations in the country.
