EU Commission presents strategy paper on air cabs and drones

Drones are increasingly taking over Asian cities in particular. In the future, we can also expect to see the first air cabs in some regions. In order to keep up with the rapid technological progress, the EU Commission has now announced appropriate steps.

Flight cabs already normality in 2030?

When it comes to technological progress in everyday life, Asia and the USA are far ahead of Europe in many disciplines. But in the field of drone technology and air cabs, Europe apparently does not want to be left behind. This is at least one of the EU Commission’s requests. The body wants drones to be part of everyday life as early as 2030. In particular, delivery services such as Amazon should be able to use the flying bodies as a practical delivery option. The advantages are obvious. After all, deliveries should not only be fast. On top of that, delivery trucks no longer burden the already overcrowded traffic in major cities. A corresponding test for the service called Amazon Prime Air was launched in the U.S. this summer.

While delivery drones are still conceivable for the vast majority of people, the EU Commission is aiming for completely different goals. There is even talk of flying cabs, which is almost reminiscent of classics of the science fiction genre. In the next few years, these services will not only be given a suitable legal basis. If the EU has its way, they should become standard as early as 2030. A corresponding strategy paper has now been drafted and presented. The letter indicates that the increasing commercialization of drone operations is of great importance. That some companies have already recognized the importance is evident from a investment by Rewe Group. The latter invested an amount in the millions in the drone startup Wingcopter in June.

EU sees drones as real all-rounders

Apparently, the EU Commission sees drones as more than a simple delivery option for Amazon and Co. Instead, the flying objects could also be exceedingly helpful in critical infrastructure. For example, emergency services could use the drones to send important medical equipment. An example from Sweden illustrates just how helpful this can be. There, last winter, an autonomous drone saved a human life by delivering a defibrillator. But simple public purposes such as mapping and inspecting areas could also be fulfilled with the help of the flying objects. In doing so, however, drones are still to be subject to legal limits. In this regard, the Commission would like to continue to rely on the work of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The aim is to integrate drones and other flying objects into everyday life in such a way that the population does not perceive them as a burden. The focus here is particularly on problems such as the resulting aircraft noise. While we will certainly quickly become accustomed to delivery drones, air cabs are likely to be somewhat unfamiliar at first. However, a gradual transition is also to take place with the flying means of transport. In the Commission’s view, they should by no means be autonomous right from the start. Rather, a pilot will be a prerequisite in the first instance. In the somewhat more distant future, however, the aim is to have autonomous flying cabs. From the EU Commission’s point of view, drones and air cabs should also be beneficial to the environment, in that they could be used to replace CO² guzzlers such as trucks and classic cabs.

Global importance of drone market

Away from the opportunities that drones bring to us Europeans, the EU Commission sees great economic opportunities in the drone market sector. Since globally respected drone companies such as Wingcopter originate from Europe, one can certainly understand this. Consequently, the goal that the EU Commission is aiming for is pleasingly forward-looking. We are curious to see in which direction drone technology will develop.