Delays in the granting of an operating licence have kept South Africa’s first drone-based logistics service grounded. In May this year the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) announced it would be piloting the use of a vertical take-off and landing “Tron” drone to deliver blood and to carry cargo such as blood samples on the return leg. But, according to a spokesperson, approval has not yet been given for a proof of concept service connecting Sebokeng and Kopanong Hospitals in Gauteng – a distance of around nine kilometres. This is despite the fact that the government created the space for the introduction of drones in July 2015 when it passed one of the world’s first comprehensive drone control laws. In addition, the concept is well proven. Since their introduction in October 2016, drones in Rwanda have delivered over 18 000 units of blood, with delivery times cut from four hours to 15 minutes in some cases. South Africa is not alone in its regulatory challenges. “Unmanned and autonomous aerial vehicles are challenging traditional legal paradigms, while authorities that govern safety and security in the air are struggling to keep pace with technical innovation,” write the authors of the World Economic Forum’s “Advanced Drone Operations Toolkit”. “Transport systems must adapt to meet the increasing demands of society, but without adding additional risks,” they add. Showing how to manage the risks, global leader Switzerland started in August 2019 rolling out a drone traffic management system that will integrate drones with conventional air traffic. Two airports are live. In the United States it is estimated that regulations will only catch up with the technology by around 2020/2021. The country’s first drone delivery service was licensed in April this year, when the United States Federal Aviation Administration authorised Google offshoot Alphabet Wing Aviation to fly transport drones. Wing will start delivering commercial packages by drone in Blacksburg, Virginia, later this year. Wing’s drones have a wingspan of about a metre and weigh approximately 5kg. Their payload is around 1.3 kg. Amazon’s Prime Air demonstrated drone delivery in 2017, but the service has failed to take off. South Africa’s regulations can be found in Part 101 of the South African Civil Aviation Regulations Act. They came into force on 1 July 2015.
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