Unifly's uncrewed air traffic management system can support drones and eVTOL aircraft using the same low-altitude airspace. (Image: Unifly)
Terra Drone Takes Controlling Stake in Uncrewed Traffic Management Provider Unifly
The Japanese drone operator was one of the first investors in the Europe-based start-up and now holds 51 percent of its equity.
Terra Drone has acquired a majority stake in uncrewed air traffic management (UTM) specialist Unifly. The Japanese group said the deal completed this week to take its equity holding in the Europe-based company to 51 percent will boost its growth plans in both drone operations and the urban air mobility sector.
Unifly’s UTM platform is already fully compliant with Europe’s U-space regulations that govern uncrewed aircraft and could be applied to future eVTOL vehicle operations. According to Terra Drone, the technology can be adapted to meet air safety requirements in other jurisdictions, including the Canadian RPAS regulation.
Terra Drone, which has not disclosed how much it has now paid to take its interest to 51 percent, was the lead investor in Unifly’s 2016 Series A funding round and the subsequent Series B round in 2018. In 2022, the government-backed Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development took a stake in Terra Drone and Unifly.
Unifly now provides UTM systems to air navigation service providers in more than eight countries, including Canada, Spain, Germany, and Belgium. It competes with other UTM providers such as Air Map and Altitude Angel.
The platform supports the integration of drones with manned aircraft. For NavCanada’s UTM deployment, more than 100,000 flight approvals have already been processed through the system.
The Unifly technology is also in service in multiple local deployments such as the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, where autonomous beyond visual line of sight drone flights are conducted on a daily basis. Saudi Arabian authorities have selected the UTM platform to support their ambitions to implement aerial air mobility services in the planned mega city of Neom, which is being built on the country’s Red Sea coast. In January, Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of oil and gas giant Aramco, invested $14 million Terra Drone, which is establishing a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia.
“From the beginning of the drone industry, Terra Drone saw the immense potential of UTM,” commented Terra Drone founder and CEO Toru Tokushige. “Unifly is focused on strengthening this partnership by using their advanced technology and experience to improve the safe and efficient use of drones in key areas like surveying, inspections, logistics, security, and disaster response, among others.”
