The opportunities for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is almost limitless. Through projects like Connected Places Catapult (CPC) – which brings together public and private sectors, national and local government and transport authorities to improve transport and urban mobility - and demonstrations like Operation Zenith, our portfolio company Altitude Angel is at the forefront of bringing automated flight to the UK and the world beyond.
As drone numbers continue to rise, there is an increasingly urgent need to enable them to be safely integrated into global airspace. Using a combination of technological expertise and regulatory experience, Altitude Angel is working to both evolve the aviation industry and unlock the huge commercial potential of drones for companies across a wide variety of other sectors and infrastructure providers - from rail and road, on-and offshore energy, to healthcare and package delivery. Altitude Angel is laying the foundations for tomorrow’s skies today.
Drone 'lanes' and new air controls are needed to police the skies within 15 years, a Government-funded report has said. In the future, drone pilots could have to clear their flight paths with an automated air traffic system in the same way as commercial airlines. The report by Connected Places Catapult, a part Government-funded transport company, comes as the debate over how to regulate drones has intensified since reported sightings of the devices shut down Gatwick Airport for three days last year. Since then, limits have been introduced on where drones can fly, at what height and a registration system also being introduced for the devices.
