Altitude Live at DroneX

This month’s episode of Altitude, recorded on the floor of the DroneX conference in London, was about moving from innovation to integration — how drones are changing the way we live in exciting ways along, together with and a desire to see an acceleration away from trials towards more routine operations.

Host Russell Porter spoke to a line-up of people playing a significant role in this transformation: Andy Sage from NATS, Craig Roberts of PwC, Alan Hicks from Manna Air Delivery, Sophia Stayte from the Department for Transport, Mehmet Erbil from Solent Future Transport, and Louisa Smith of Apian, joined by Tom Rehwinkle from Matternet.

Russell with Alan Hicks sharing the latest on Manna Air Delivery

Building the Infrastructure

Andy Sage updated us on OpenAir, NATS’ digital infrastructure designed to help safely integrate drones into UK airspace. He described it as “not just a concept but a necessity,” with trials completed and a regulatory review in progress. He shared the exciting progress of the team’s submitted proposals to the CAA, marking a significant step forward and revealed more real-world trials on the horizon to demonstrate how OpenAir can support the industry’s vast potential. If all goes to plan, NATS hopes OpenAir will be supporting commercial operations by 2027.

Balancing Risk and Regulation

PwC’s Craig Roberts presented findings from the firm’s new report UK Drone Regulations and Net Risk, suggesting that UK’s regulatory stance may be slowing progress compared to markets like the USA, Canada, and Singapore. The evidence he presented reveals that drones are an inherently safe technology, something that he argues should encourage a more streamlined regulatory approach. His concept of “picking winners”—focusing on high-benefit, low-risk use cases – could then push the industry forward and accelerate progress toward routine BVLOS operations in the UK.

From Dublin to Your Door

Speaking of routine BVLOS operations, few have demonstrated that reality more clearly than Alan Hicks, CTO at Manna Air Delivery. His company operates daily drone deliveries across Dublin, transporting food, drink and groceries direct to people’s front doors. What was once novel has become normal. “It’s faster, safer and greener,” Alan said, noting that road accidents involving delivery drivers could be reduced if more deliveries take to the sky. Manna is now in talks with the UK Civil Aviation Authority to bring its operations across the Irish Sea.

Government’s Next Steps

From the policy side, Sophia Stayte from the Department for Transport shared updates on the government’s Future Flight programme. The targets for routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations by 2027 and commercial eVTOL flights by 2028 are not just aspirations, but achievable milestones. “We’re on track,” she said, but emphasised collaboration. “It has to be a shared effort between government, industry and the public.” Most encouraging is the active and positive public engagement, with research showing a genuine public appetite for the jobs and services this new era of flight will bring.

Life-Saving Missions

Innovation wasn’t limited to deliveries. Dr Mehmet Erbil from Solent Future Transport described how his team developed a drone to transport chemotherapy drugs to the Isle of Wight. They are exceeding the limitations of traditional transport like ferries, which are often delayed by bad weather causing medicines to expire before arrival. Their drone, purpose-built around a safe and secure medical container, has already completed successful flights. “It works,” he said simply, “and it will save lives.”

Russell with Dr Mehmet Erbil from Solent Future Transport

Healthcare from the Air

Louisa Smith from Apian and Tom Rehwinkle from Matternet discussed the growing role of drones in healthcare logistics. Apian has already completed more than 6,000 medical drone deliveries for the NHS, cutting turnaround times dramatically. “We’ve delivered blood samples and had results back within 29 minutes,” Louisa said. Matternet, operating in Zurich since 2017, brings certified systems and experience that Apian is using to scale operations across London. Their shared vision of expanding this service from hospitals directly to people’s homes is a testament to the transformative role drones will play in building a smarter, more responsive healthcare system for everyone.

Throughout the discussion, three themes echoed: risk, trust, and momentum. The technology is no longer theoretical. And the applications, from hospital networks to home deliveries, are proving that drone innovation is not a distant vision but an emerging reality.

Watch the full episode of Altitude: Live at DroneX on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.