WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Europe was Home to a Quarter of Drone Market Investments in 2019
With 4.44 billion dollars invested in total in the drone industry over the years , and 1.2 billion dollars invested just last year , Europe has enjoyed a healthy chunk of such investments over the years . Of those 1.2 billion dollars invested , a quarter of the deals involved cash injections into European companies . Some of the most prominent deals in 2019 involved the German passenger drone manufacturer Volocopter which raised 55 million dollars in a Series C round and Swiss drone manufacturer Wingtra which raised 10 million dollars in a Series A funding round .
New EU Regulations Are Set for Implementation by 2021
By January 2021 , all EU member states will have adopted the new EU regulations . Those who are not members of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency ( EASA ) – like Switzerland , Norway and Iceland – have been pushing ahead with their own regulations , many of which mirror EU proposed rules .
Integration , harmonization and standardization have been the mottos of not only the new EU rules and regulations , but also the EU-led airspace integration programme – U-Space . The European UTM programme , set to be completed by 2035 , is outlined as “ an enabling framework designed to facilitate any kind of routine mission , in all classes of airspace and all types of environment — even the most congested — while addressing an appropriate interface with manned aviation and air traffic control .” It is set to harmonize the integration of drones into the airspace across EASA member states .
The European Market is Home to Several Major Drone Market Players and an Array of SMEs and Start-Ups
Home to some of the oldest and biggest commercial drone companies but also a growing start-up scene , Europe currently boasts a diverse commercial drone industry . On the one hand , major players like the French Parrot , Swiss senseFly and British CyberHawk , are all over 10 years old and have grown into profitable companies , leaders in their respective fields . On the other hand , Europe is also home to start-ups like Wingcopter , Griff Aviation , Unifly , and doks . innovation and thus currently constitutes a healthy ecosystem of market players at different stages of development offering a range of solutions .
66 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS