New milestone in Dallas area marks the first use of real-time, automated coordination between commercial BVLOS drone operators.
by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb
Flytrex and Wing recently announced their shared implementation of the Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) Strategic Coordination standard in the United States with a new first-of-its-kind application into daily flight operations near Dallas, Texas. Part of a broader industry-FAA collaboration establishing the foundations for a national UTM ecosystem, the two drone delivery companies are first among several drone operators to further integrate into the airspace by automating the separation of commercial drone flights in low-altitude shared airspace.
According to their recent press release, this is the first time multiple BVLOS drone operators are leveraging UTM services for commercial, sustained operations. By sharing their flight plans and strategically coordinating drone paths, Flytrex and Wing aim to model a scalable approach to drone delivery built on collaboration.
“Unmanned Traffic Management is the backbone of a scalable drone delivery ecosystem,” said Yariv Bash, CEO and co-founder of Flytrex. “It allows multiple operators to fly safely and efficiently, even in densely populated areas, by mitigating drone to drone collision risks. We’re proud to work alongside Wing to pioneer a new standard for airspace coordination built for scale.”
As the two companies operate in close proximity to serve overlapping communities, they will exchange flight intent data and automatically adjust their flight paths to meet deconfliction requirements, without the need for manual coordination between the two companies.
Both companies participate in the Federal Aviation Administration’s UTM Operational Evaluation, facilitating this exchange.
“This is yet another milestone for the UTM Operational Evaluation, leveraging core principles of U.S. aviation and innovation,” said Margaret Nagle, Vice President and Global Head of Policy, Regulatory and Community Affairs at Wing. “By leveraging the benefits of global standards, we will increasingly see multiple drone services sharing the same, overlapping airspace and operating at scale. For Wing, this is how we deliver more goods to more people – right when they need it.”
This breakthrough collaboration is a major step for the safe implementation of drone delivery services into US skies. As the airspace becomes more populated with autonomous aircraft, real-time and digital coordination between service providers will help maintain safety and efficiency.
About Flytrex
Flytrex is a leader in ultrafast, on-demand drone food delivery. It has delivered over 200,000 deliveries in Texas and North Carolina. The company has been at the forefront of transforming last-mile logistics, providing suburban communities with affordable, scalable access to aerial delivery. Flytrex operates in multiple U.S. states and continues to expand its footprint, focusing on enhancing quality of life through innovation in autonomous logistics.
About Wing
Wing offers drone delivery. Our fleet of lightweight, highly automated delivery drones can transport small packages directly from businesses to homes and between healthcare providers in minutes. Wing has made more than 450,000 commercial drone deliveries on three continents and is currently expanding in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX metroplex and to Charlotte, NC.
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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.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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