The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved the first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights over the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure.
While independent firm Drone Major is the first firm to be given the permission to carry out inspections, the CAA is planning to enable routine drone inspections by 2027. They believe the technology could greatly reduce the cost of inspections in comparison to human-led operations, which often involve hazardous scenarios requiring stringent safety rules.
The first flight took place above railway lines as a way to find potential faults on the track. But Drone Majors said that more complex BVLOS operations across other infrastructure could soon follow, with potential applications in sectors such as energy, utilities, defence, border management and sensitive national infrastructure surveillance.
The firm said the test flight paves the way for regular trials of the technology on a critical 12km route between Wolverhampton and Sandwell...