Estimating that this market could be worth 14.5 billion euros in Europe in 2030, the European Commission has just presented its new strategy for the development of the latter.
Drones are useful in several areas. Present in the European skies, they have already made it possible to map infrastructures, monitor hydrocarbon spills or even sample soils. Having adopted regulations concerning these machines in 2014, the European Commission wishes to better support the development of this market in the block. In this objective, on Tuesday, it unveiled its new strategy called “Drone 2.0”who “defines how Europe can develop the commercial exploitation of drones on a large scale while offering new possibilities in this sector”.
With this strategy, Brussels wants these machines to be part of the lives of Europeans by 2030, being used for emergency services, mapping, imaging, inspection and surveillance. They would also be useful for urgent delivery of small packages such as medicines and biological samples.
Supervise the development of drones and flying taxis
The European Commission also wants to oversee the development of air taxis in order to offer passenger transport services. Initially controlled by a pilot, these machines would eventually be fully autonomous. Brussels has the Paris Olympics in 2024 in mind, with the first flying taxis set to be deployed on this occasion. It is in this context that a device from the start-up Volocopter made its first flight in real conditions in the Paris suburbs last month.
“With the arrival of a new generation of electrically-powered aircraft capable of operating in an urban and regional environment, we must ensure that, in addition to maintaining the safety of operations in our airspace, the conditions meet both the business needs of operators and the privacy and security expectations of citizens., explained Adina Valean, the transport commissioner. According to her, the establishment of an adequate regulatory framework could allow the market for drone services in Europe to weigh 14.5 billion euros by 2030, but also to create 145,000 jobs.
Creating tomorrow’s airspace and drone market
On the other hand, Brussels wants “make sure drones get support from society” before advancing these innovative technologies. This is why local, regional and national authorities are called upon to ensure that the various services meet the needs of citizens. The European Commission has planned 19 actions in its strategy in order to “create the right regulatory and commercial environment for the airspace and drone market of tomorrow”.
It will now start work on these actions, which includes the adoption of common airworthiness rules and new requirements for pilot training. It will also fund the creation of an online platform to help local actors and industry to “implement innovative and sustainable air mobility”. A roadmap will also be developed on strategic drone technologies to, among other things, identify priority areas for research and innovation. Finally, the Commission will define criteria for a voluntary label indicating the cybersecurity approval of a drone.