Cargo drone developer Dronamics has obtained the EU’s Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC).
The LUC is recognized in all EU member states and is intended to provide the operators with business opportunities across the single market. The license was granted by the Transport Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (TM-CAD), the country’s Civil Aviation Authority. It enables it to self-authorize flight operations of its Black Swan aircraft across EU countries, including beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
Dronamics has planned to scale up its operations and run its first commercial flights out of Malta and Italy later this year. With Malta as its European operations base, Dronamics is well placed to operate its first routes over the Mediterranean, linking key hubs across the region. Transport Malta has been spearheading the advancement of aviation innovation in Europe, thanks to its expertise as a global aviation hub and government support for the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) sector.
The announcement was made during European Business Aviation Conference Exhibition (EBACE) and comes as the company prepares for the first commercial flights of its flagship Black Swan aircraft later in 2022. Capable of carrying 350kg at a distance of up to 2,500km, the Black Swan aims to make supply chains more efficient, resulting in cost, time and carbon emission savings.
Charles Pace, director general of Civil Aviation Directorate Transport Malta (TM-CAD), said, “During the past several months, our dedicated CAD inspectors, who did the job diligently, validated our belief in new technologies and innovation within the aviation industry. Since the initial contact with Dronamics, the operational concept, the experienced and passionate team, and above all the company mission, made us believe that Dronamics will be the pioneer of a new, safe and exciting era of the drone cargo long-range operation. I would also like to thank the Rangelov Brothers and Dronamics’ Airline team for selecting Malta for their new LUC and we are proud to have Dronamics as our new member of the 9H community.”
Sergio Oliveira e Silva, COO of Dronamics, said, “Becoming the first cargo drone company to obtain LUC certification is a huge milestone for us and validates years of hard work in developing our unique and market-leading solution. Our team has been involved in numerous AOCs on several continents before, and we are continuously impressed with the world-class professionalism and expertise of Transport Malta, coupled with a pro-innovation mindset.
“With the support of such a sophisticated and technologically advanced regulator, and with Malta as our European operations base, we are well placed to progress our operations and start serving key routes across the Mediterranean later this year and continue our future expansion so that we can achieve our mission to enable same-day delivery for everyone, everywhere.”
