DRONAMICS selects Malta as its European base of operations

DRONAMICS, the world’s leading middle-mile cargo drone developer and operator, today unveiled the first base of operations in Europe for its unmanned drone logistics service. After a detailed selection process with multiple national civil aviation authorities and leading customers in Europe, the DRONAMICS team has selected Malta as its first European operation base to provide same-day delivery service with the Black Swan drone in 2022.

Malta will serve as a starting point for the first commercial routes the company will offer, connecting the country via air first to mainland Italy followed by other destinations in the Mediterranean and all of Europe.

“Malta is the perfect operational and strategic location for our first flights of the Black Swan. We aim to connect Malta first with Italy where the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has established testbed airports for remotely pilot aircraft system trials. Transport Malta and the Civil Aviation Directorate have given us a clear path to establishing our first commercial routes and we aim to do the first demonstration flights in 2022.” said Sergio Oliveira e Silva, Chief Operating Officer of DRONAMICS.

Capt. Charles Pace, Director General of Civil Aviation Directorate Transport Malta (TM-CAD) expressed his gratitude towards DRONAMICS for the ongoing cooperation and added: “We are very proud of this milestone and are determined to continue into the UAV market.  Special thanks to Neil Pavia and Analiza Abdilla from CAD who were the driving force on this and other UAV projects.”

“Malta has developed into a thriving hub with a strong aviation cluster that can support our expansion as the world’s cargo drone airline. We are very excited that Malta is going to be the first country in Europe that we will service, and its strategic position and great trade heritage make it the perfect location for our European base.” said Svilen Rangelov, CEO of DRONAMICS.

Ruth Sawers, the newly appointed Director of Business Operations Malta, has recently submitted DRONAMICS’ light UAS operator certificate (LUC) application to Transport Malta represented by Charles Pace, Director-General, and Analiza Abdilla, Flight Operations Inspecting Officer of the Civil Aviation Directorate. The LUC is an organizational approval certificate that drone operators should obtain by the respective National Aviation Authority of registration to have operators assessed that they are capable of assessing the risk of flight operations themselves.

This is an important step towards the flight authorization for the first flights with the full-scale Black Swan aircraft which are scheduled for 2022.

About Transport Malta – Civil Aviation Directorate: 

The Civil Aviation Directorate within Transport Malta regulates all aviation activities in Malta and is a member of ICAO, EASA, EUROCONTROL and ECAC. The Civil Aviation Directorate ensures that the Maltese air transport industry, in all its aspects, continues to be developed in a safe and efficient manner in order to serve the island’s needs. The Civil Aviation Directorate has a range of responsibilities and offers a selection of services to ensure the safety of those involved and to regulate all practices.

About DRONAMICS:

Based in London (UK) and Sofia (Bulgaria), DRONAMICS is the world’s leading developer and operator of large cargo drones. Its flagship Black Swan unmanned aircraft is able to carry 350 kg of cargo at a distance of up to 2,500 km at up to 80% lower cost than any aircraft in existence, enabling same-day shipping over very long distances for e-commerce, pharma, and time-critical shipments. Founded and funded by leading entrepreneurs and executives in aviation, logistics, and technology from the US, Europe, Africa and Asia, as well as by Founders Factory, Speedinvest and Eleven Capital, the company’s fast-growing team includes some of the world’s top aerospace and logistics experts and is the winner of numerous awards for innovation, including IATA’s Drone Innovation Award. DRONAMICS is IATA’s first Strategic Partner for drones worldwide and has been named by the European Commission as a Top 10 EU-Africa startup.