Flying Solo: Drone technology pushes beyond the horizon

With advances in technology, drones are now being utilised to fulfil tasks from inspecting wind turbines to supporting the healthcare sector with delivery of medical supplies. The government-funded Future Flight Challenge has seen activity within the BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone space flourishing, as companies aim to accelerate their integration and unlock benefits in productivity, sustainability and beyond.

A 2022 PwC report, ‘Skies Without Limits 2.0’, estimates that drones could contribute £45bn to the UK economy by 2030. It envisions that more than 900,000 drones could be operating in the UK’s skies with a potential for £22bn in cost savings and a 2.4 million tonne reduction in carbon emissions.

During the 2023 annual ARPAS-UK (the UK’s drone industry trade association) conference, Gordon Baker,  a policy advisor at the government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said that whilst we can’t guarantee these numbers, this is where the potential is should we get ‘very full adoption of all the capabilities’.