Twente Airport, by Archangel12, CC BY 2.0
Integration of Approval Services Platform Enables Seamless, Digital Flight Requests and Enhanced Safety for Manned and Unmanned Aircraft
Altitude Angel, a Reading, UK-based Universal Traffic Management (UTM) provider focused on integrating drones and other UAVs into international airspace, recently announced that they’d partnered with the Twente Airport and the Space53 drone innovation cluster to start utilizing their unique Approval Services platform. This will allow drone operators, (and, in the future, eVTOL (electronic Vertical Take Offf and Landing) pilots), to submit flight requests and pay for services within Twente Airport’s airspace digitally and seamlessly.
Twente Airport is the first airport in the Netherlands to adopt this technology, which has already seen extensive use across the UK in international airports, regional helidromes, and heliports. With its varied terrain and large managed airspace, Twente provides the perfect testbed for both crewed and uncrewed operations, having already hosted trials (in collaboration with Space53) for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, the national police force, and Twente Fire and Rescue Service.
Mike Holsheimer, program manager of Space53 on the deployment of Approval Services, said, “As our drone partners are increasingly conducting beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS), within Twente Airport’s airspace, having just one source where the correct and real-time information can be found, showing both manned and unmanned activity, is crucial to ensure safety in and around the airport.”
Gerben Groothuis of Twente Airport added, “Altitude Angel’s Approval Services platform gives us the certainty we need to allow drone activity alongside that of manned aircraft. As the need for more unmanned flights arises for eVTOL and drone operators, the Approval Services platform will allow us to scale up our operations quickly, easily, and safely.”
Paul deHaan, Altitude Angel NL, Managing Director, commented, “Through the adoption of Approval Services, Twente Airport is enabling the next generation of airspace users – without doing so at the expense of existing operations. Crewed and uncrewed aircraft can share the same skies, safely and securely, if the right platforms and technology are deployed. Approval Services gives Twente Airport the flexibility to approve drone operations by allowing drone operators to submit flight plans, which take place in part wholly or in part, within an airport’s controlled airspace, quickly and securely, bringing together traditional air traffic control systems with digital unified traffic management solutions.”
More information on Altitude Angel is available here.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
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