Not too long ago, flying the open skies was an activity reserved for licensed pilots.

With the introduction of drones, “flying” opened up to the masses: from photography buffs to gadget lovers. Between their growing popularity and the potential for exciting new applications across society, air space will continue to get more crowded.

While the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry is in relatively early stages – and still largely the occupation of hobbyists – now is the time to explore how tomorrow’s air traffic can be safely managed.

On Thursday, July 5, Digital Luxembourg, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability & Trust (SnT) and UPL-AOPA organized a seminar bringing together a variety of stakeholders: airport and aviation authorities (DAC, ANA), law enforcement, SES, SecurityMadeIn.Lu, Ministry of the Economy, Incites, Involi, Broadcasting Center Europe, Luxembourg Air Rescue and drone enthusiasts together to start the conversation.

Reflecting its standard multidisciplinary approach, Digital Luxembourg’s goal was to incorporate various perspectives across the flight and drone community at the get-go.

“Government representatives, tech experts, engineers, researchers, pilots and drone flyers all bring with them inherently different insight, ” said Peter Sodermans, Senior Advisor, ICT Infrastructure, Digital Luxembourg. “If we want to create modern air traffic measures that can truly last, we need all of those viewpoints.”

The project’s current purpose is to design air traffic management solutions that will harmonize the flight activities between drones and small planes in Luxembourg. However, in the long term, any developments could eventually have broad, positive implications for modern air traffic regulations, both within the Grand Duchy and beyond.

The rapidly growing drone market represents a huge opportunity for every country in Europe and especially Luxembourg – with its robust ICT infrastructure, funding options and freedom to experiment.

Under the umbrella of air traffic management, the project will also examine the possible evolution of UAVs through the lens of 5G, surveillance, law, military and emergency services, to name a few.  

As next steps, a Drone Management, Technologies & Applications working group will be launched to connect research, companies and infrastructure by bringing together all stakeholders. Ongoing meetings and events will continue the conversation.

Democratizing the skies and diversifying its users present both exciting possibilities and very real risks. Nowadays, the sky’s not the limit: it is an opportunity, one that Luxembourg is ready to explore.