Britain could become a world leader in the billion-pound drone industry

Alex Wood 

Sales of consumer drones were up 24% in 2014, with Selfridges describing them as “the ultimate toy that spans the generations”.

But as sales rose, drones quickly picked up a lot of negative publicity. Onemarketing stunt featuring mistletoe suspended by drones at TGI Friday’sspectacularly backfired after a unit sliced off part of a photographer’s nose. In another incident, a drone had a near-miss with an Airbus A320 as it began its descent into Heathrow.

Analysts predict that the market for drones could be worth billions. In the US alone, drones could create up to 70,000 new jobs for a booming new industry.

But the consumer end of the market is a mere drop in the ocean. The potential for drones to revolutionise the way we do business is where the real opportunity lies, and Britain has the potential to become the world leader.

E-commerce and drones were made for each other. Imagine a world where your next Amazon order is delivered to your door in minutes by an unmanned drone. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos sold this dream to much fanfare a year ago, but little has changed since then, leaving many to question if it was all a marketing stunt. The odds are stacked against Amazon launching the service as regulators in the US appear to have tied themselves up in knots over how to control the new industry.

As it stands, drone-based delivery services are illegal in America. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it intends to work on regulation this year, but this is just one of many roadblocks for America’s drone industry.

“The biggest problem in the US is they’ve invested $5bn in a new traffic control system, but it was started years before drones were on the radar, meaning the industry has been stopped in its tracks,” says Rohan Sinclair Luvaglio, chief executive and founder of Bizzby.

Luvaglio’s London-based startup is a mobile app that offers services, including handymen, cleaners and beauty therapists to customers’ doors in just 30 minutes. He wants to launch his own answer to Amazon’s drone-delivery concept in the UK. Late last year Bizzby successfully demonstrated Bizzby Sky, a delivery service operated by its mobile app, from a test centre outside the capital.

Unlike in the US, a drone-delivery service in the UK would not be illegal. However current regulations exclude drones from what the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) defines as “crowded areas”, preventing Luvaglio from launching it in cities such as London, where many potential customers live.

“We need a DVLA for drones,” he says. “Without proper regulation with a central database of approved units, it’s impossible to make sure your drones adhere to no-fly zones.”

Like many areas of high technology, it is not yet clear where responsibilities lie within government, which makes it hard to drive change. Policymakers have not responded to letters or requests to engage, according to Luvaglio.

Despite the struggles for new delivery drone services, Britain has recently become a leader in the field of drone-based aerial photography. “A lot of countries already use the UK’s regulations on drones as a benchmark,” says Giles Moore, CEO atAirstoc, the world’s first marketplace for stock footage shot by drones.

Airstoc works with operators from 62 different countries and many face much more draconian regulations than in the UK.

His company is now part of ARPAS UK, association for the drone industry in the UK, and works closely with the CAA to reform regulation.

Much of the recent negative publicity towards drones appears to stem from a very small selection of hobbyists who give the industry a bad name. “The big issue here is the cheap drones flown by people without licenses. As a hobbyist its fine in a controlled area like a park or open land, but these devices are like a remote control car you used to play with as a kid – you don’t drive it down the M1.”

Unlike in the US, professional drone operators in the UK have to acquire a licence, which Moore points out is a major plus to the industry. Despite the fact that aerial drone photography is illegal across much of America, the country still boasts the highest number of operators in the world.

Without significant investment in a new air traffic control system and a nationwide overhaul of already restrictive regulations, America could find itself quickly outmatched by Britain’s burgeoning drone industry.

If our regulators here in the UK act quickly, we could be just years away from a potential golden age, where deliveries can take place 24 hours a day from the sky and we become a leading centre for imagery shot by drones. And with pioneers like Bizzby and Airstoc driving the technology forward, drones could well be Britain’s next billion- pound industry.

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/jan/16/drone-law-uk-amazon-delivery