Transport Canada Drone Infrastructure Testing Goes to Phase 2

Transport Canada, the Canadian aviation authority, and NAV Canada, which provides air navigation services, have selected a consortium to deliver a Phase 2 trial of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Traffic Management (RTM). The consortium is led by AeroVision Canada, with principal partners ANRA Technologies and ClearSky Connect.

The Phase 2 effort will refine and evaluate requirements for RTM services enabling operations for future commercial RPAS aircraft in suburban environments. The new testing follows up on Phase 1, which was completed in 2022, and “provided many observations to advance RTM in Canada and inform the aims of future RTM activities.”

Trevor Bergman, CEO of AeroVision Canada, said, “We assembled a team that will provide technologies to advance the development of performance and safety assurance requirements identified in the Transport Canada and NAV Canada Concept of Operations. Our team will deliver services that are key to establishing an RTM system for Canada, starting in the Halifax region, and has the support of local government.”

Alan Chapman, co-chair of the Trials Executive Steering Committee (TESC) and Director of RPAS Traffic Management at NAV Canada, said, “The second phase of trials will offer crucial experiential learning for the development of the Canadian RPAS Traffic Management system, enhancing the safe integration of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. Integrating third-party services and capabilities with NAV Canada's centralized services will ensure airspace safety while collaboratively advancing new use cases, including those that require Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.”