The first all-service UAS traffic management (UTM) system supporting beyond-visual-line of sight (BVLOS) and urban delivery drone flights is on course to be operational by the end of 2019 in Dubai, according to the latest edition of Unmanned Airspace’s “The Market for UAV traffic management services 2018-2022”.
“The importance of Dubai’s pioneering UTM system is not just the robustness of the technology from drone registration to applying safe separation standards in flight but also in the institutional arrangements between the UTM service supplier and the certifying authorities,” according to Philip Butterworth-Hayes, author of the report.
“There are now at least 18 UTM programmes in place around the world (see table one) where air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and civil aviation authorities have partnered with UTM specialist companies to provide local or national drone traffic management schemes. But as the tracking and communication technologies for urban operations are evolving along different lines from those of non-urban environments it is becoming increasingly likely that new generations of GSM-based urban UTM partnerships will emerge to provide niche services.“
The June 2018 edition of the report:
- highlights the key trends in successful UTM service provider business strategies
- reports on ANSP plans and priorities for developing UTM services globally
- adds new information on funding UTM programmes
- analyses advances in key UTM technologies and services and their effect on the market
“The technology imperative is now focusing on the on-board avionics system which BVLOS and urban delivery drones will have to carry to enable UTM service providers to accurately track and communicate with them in different environments,” said Philip Butterworth-Hayes. “There is a growing understanding that GSM networks could provide the technology basis for urban UTM operations but outside the towns and cities more complex solutions will be required. “
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Table: ANSP and UTM operational partnerships
| Date | UTM service supplier | Client | Country | Contract details |
| April 2016 | Exponent | Dubai Civil Aviation Administration | Dubai | Public launch of the Exponent Portal software which allows DCAA officials and other local authorities to track the location, speed and height of drones. |
| 2017 | ||||
| July | Unifly | DFS | Germany | UTM deployment with mobile app in July 2017 |
| August | AirMap | Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) | USA | The AirMap UTM platform is deployed in Kansas where drones will be mobilized for disaster recovery, search-and-rescue, agriculture, construction, package delivery, and more. |
| August/September | AirMap | States of Texas and Florida | USA | Temporary UTM set up in wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma |
| September | Kongsberg Gerospatial | Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Canada | A contract to produce an Emergency Operations Airspace Management System (EOAMS) for evaluation by Canadian government agencies for safely managing drones at emergency and disaster scenes. |
| October | Skyward | Federal Aviation Administration | USA | Approval to give commercial drone operators instant access to controlled airspace with the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) |
| October | Unifly | Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority | Denmark | Launch of “Droneluftrum” app centred on interactive map based on Unifly software |
| November | AirMap | Federal Aviation Administration | USA | Approval to give commercial drone operators instant access to controlled airspace with the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) |
| December | AirMap | Airways New Zealand | New Zealand | Drone operators use AirMap’s iOS and Android apps to request airspace approvals required by New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority at Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wanaka airports, and on public lands in the Christchurch City, Selwyn, and Queenstown Lakes District Council, including parks and reserves. |
| December | Rakuten AirMap | Chiba City | Japan | Chiba City is the first city in Japan to deploy the Airspace Management Dashboard from Rakuten AirMap. |
| December | Unifly | Austrocontrol | Austria | UTM deployment with mobile app |
| 2018 | ||||
| March | Unifly | Belgocontrol and the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority | Belgium | Launch of droneguide.be, a digital platform based on Unifly software. |
| March | Project Wing | Federal Aviation Administration | USA | Approval to give commercial drone operators instant access to controlled airspace with the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) |
| March | Rockwell Collins | Federal Aviation Administration | USA | Approval to give commercial drone operators instant access to controlled airspace with the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) |
| March | Deutsche Telecom | DFS | Germany | The UTM system is based on the DFS multi-sensor tracker Phoenix, which was developed by DFS and is in use to display radar data for air traffic control. |
| March | AirMap, SITAONAIR, senseFly and PX4 | Skyguide | Switzerland | The contract is to develop and deploy a national drone traffic management system for Switzerland. |
| March | Altitude Angel | NATS | UK | A strategic partnership to develop unmanned traffic management solutions that can be integrated and interact with conventional air traffic control. |
| March | DroneRadar consortium | Polish Air Navigation Services Agency and Polish Civil Aviation Authority | Poland | The consortium comprises DroneRadar JSW Innowacje, dlapilota.pl Sp. z o.o., Creotech Instruments S.A, FlyTech UAV Sp. z o.o., Aerobits and WIZIPISI. The consortium cooperates closely with the PANSA to create a nationwide UTM system |
| May | Unifly | UNICEF | Malawi | Unifly has set up the first UTM in Africa, supporting UNICEF’s humanitarian drone corridor in Malawi. |
| May | Leonardo | ENAV | Italy | Leonardo will lead the industrial team that includes subsidiary Telespazio and IDS – Ingegneria Dei Sistemi. |
(Note – this table excludes research, trials and development arrangements outside LAANC arrangements)
