Press Release

SUCCESSFUL FIRST FLIGHTS OF A DRONE BEYOND VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT IN A CONTROLLED AIRSPACE

In September 2022, the first approved flights of an unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a remote control pilot took place successfully in controlled airspace surrounding the airport in Brno - Tuřany, Czechia.. Demonstration flights took place in the controlled area of Brno airport under supervision of air traffic controllers. Their goal was to demonstrate operational, technical, economic and regulatory aspects for this type of drone operation in the current civil aviation system.

The motivation of the demonstration operation, run as part of the EU-funded project "U-space4UAM - Urban Air Mobility in Europe" within the SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) framework, was to demonstrate advanced services in conditions corresponding to the real operating environment.

At the same time, these services were integrated into drone logistics and tested in a real environment. This solution has the potential to greatly simplify the use of drones for a number of industrial applications with a requirement to automate the use of drones on a large scale. The project team consists of a number of top research centers, development and operation companies in the field of airspace use, national providers of air traffic services and all this under the supervision of representatives of state regulators.

Demonstration flight participants and positions:

project participant, provider of flight services via the Brno control tower, methodical operation security

lead entity in the project, providing the main systems for Detect & Avoid

project partner, a Swiss drone manufacturer

the main partner of the demonstration flights, the author of the technical and operational solution

project partner, providing airport infrastructure and cooperation