Lithuania’s new drone traffic management system, a mobile app called U-Space, will be the first certified system of its kind in Europe and will boost safety, set clear rules for drone use, and create greater opportunities for businesses, officials said on Tuesday.
“We expect to certify it with our Transport Competence Agency and […] once we do, we expect to be the first in Europe to have certified this type of system,” Saulius Batavičius, CEO of Lithuania’s state-owned air navigation service provider Oro Navigacija, told reporters at the U-Space presentation event.
“It’s not just about being first; it’s a big responsibility because everybody will look at us as a model,” he added.
Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said that the new system will not only improve safety but will also systematise the rules and information for drone users and expand opportunities for businesses.
“Our vision is that anyone who wants to provide services or use drones for recreational or commercial purposes can just open the app on their mobile phone, see the current airspace situation, get permissions with a single tap, and perform the flights that they want,” he told reporters.
Batavičius expects the new app to be launched in early 2025.
The new system will also allow people to verify, for example, whether a drone flying over their property is doing so legally and will provide drone operators with real-time information on aerial events, such as passing helicopters, incidents, and wind strength and direction.
Oro Navigacija said in June that it had signed a 2.5-million-euro contract with Austria’s Frequentis to develop the app.
Data from the Transport Competence Agency show that Lithuania had 3,900 registered drone users as of January.
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