Skyports has received the first-in-the-EU Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) to allow for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), enabling it to self-authorise drone flights.
The LUC is recognised in all European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) member countries allowing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operators to conduct flights without first submitting a declaration or obtaining authorisation from aviation authorities beforehand.
Aviation regulator and CEO designate of the IAA, Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, commented on the significance of this latest development: “The 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 is one of a handful of drone operators globally that have been granted the certification to date after demonstrating to the regulator that as an organisation it is capable of assessing the risk of an operation itself.
As an LUC holder, Skyports will be able to expand its drone delivery service within the medical, maritime and logistics sectors across Europe, building on recent successful trials in Scotland and between the Isles of Scilly for Royal Mail.
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.”
In preparation for its application for the LUC, Skyports worked with Julie Garland, chief executive of Ireland-based Avtrain, one of Europe’s leading drone training and certification organisations. Garland provided support on the documentation and provided EASA certification of Skyports’ pilots.
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