With the number of drones in Austria on the rise, the Austrian Air Navigation Services Provider (ANSP) Austro Control is relying on the development of an Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system to ensure that uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) can continue to fly safely. As such, Austro Control has extended its decade-long cooperation with Frequentis by launching a drone management solution to enable the safe integration of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Austrian airspace.
The system, which will be operational by early 2023 will ensure that flight clearances for drones are handled faster, safer and more efficiently in the future in an area where both crewed and uncrewed aircraft are on the move. As such it will offer advantages for drone pilots as well as for Austro Control’s air traffic controllers.
“Drones are among the central topics of the future for Austro Control,” said Austro Control Managing Director, Valerie Hackl. “The possible applications in the commercial sector know hardly any limits. At the same time, there has been a veritable drone boom in the private sector for several years. These developments require a redefinition of airspace. With the air traffic management system, we will make drone flying in Austria even safer in the future.”
Hackl was joined by Frequentis CEO, Norbert Haslacher, who explained that the new UTM drone traffic management system is paving the way for an ecosystem that meets the increasing demand for drone flights in a regulated airspace, thanks to the possibility to embed a wide range of services and the connection of additional user groups.
“We are pleased to implement this forward-thinking project together with our long-standing partner Austro Control” Haslacher said.
With Frequentis’ cloud-based UTM solution, future communication between drone pilots and Austro Control will be based on digitalisation and automation. In the first stage of the joint project, the digital transmission of drone flight plans and the release of drone flights into controlled airspace by air traffic control are on the agenda. Subsequently, in line with EU regulations currently being implemented, drone identification and warnings of restricted airspace will be activated in the system.
Key features of the system that will be gradually implemented over the next few years are: the intuitive application for air traffic controllers and the mobile application for drone pilots enabling the real-time establishment of airspace rules and restrictions, review of flight plans and issue clearances for drone pilots. Other services include warnings of airspace that is closed – even at short notice and digitisation of the previously manual approval of flights. In addition, the traffic management system for drones also supports the Austrian economy, which wants to establish new services on the market through the use of drones.
