A call to action has been made by the UK Drone Delivery Group, which is looking for land owners and influencers to provide testing areas for drones.

A failure to do so will result in a ‘bottleneck for growth,’ according to Robert Garbett, founder of the group, which is an industry initiative to provide guidance on the steps required to enable accelerated commercialisation of the UK drone industry.

“There is a current unnecessary ‘bottleneck’ in the evolution of the drone industry and this primarily lies in the lack of controlled testing locations which can provide trial areas and safe environments to accelerate the development of drone technology, help to shape its standards, and ensure appropriate but non-constricting regulations,” he said.

Examples of desirable drone technology testing locations include not only large airports and aerodromes that may already be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, but also forests, remote coastal areas and land.

In November, 2019, analysts at Barclays predicted that the commercial drone market could grow from $4bn in 2018 to $40bn in five years, resulting in efficiency savings of $100bn – predictions based solely on air drones. If you add the fast-growing possibilities for surface, underwater or space drones then the potential growth is substantially greater.

“However, predictions of the astonishing potential for growth, are dependent upon the business community and wider public recognising the important part they can play regarding potential testing locations and trial areas.”

Those interested in participating in the UK Drone Delivery Group’s initiative to provide testing areas for drones contact: https://www.dronemajorgroup.com/drone-delivery-group