ANA Holdings, along with several leading Japanese technology firms, including Bird Initiative, Ain Holdings, and NEC Corporation have partnered with the Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry to conduct a drone operations pilot project in Wakkanai City, Hokkaido prefecture.
ANA said the tests conducted examined the ability of drones to deliver pharmaceutical supplies to remote areas in accordance with the "Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Supply Delivery using Drones," and to operate at passenger airports using the decentralized UAS Traffic Management.
In a statement, it said UTM enables multiple drone operators to operate drones safely and efficiently within the same airspace and all of the tests were held in accordance with existing Japanese regulations and guidelines for drone use.
Utilizing Drones to Address Unique Regional Issues
"Drones offer exciting new possibilities, but their full potential is limited by restrictions on their ability to fly beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their operators. BVLOS operations are currently limited to remote islands, mountainous areas, and sparsely populated areas," ANA said.
It added that project was launched in 2017 in an effort to gain approval for BVLOS flights in populated areas, also known as Level 4 flights, by FY2022.
The results from the Wakkanai tests could help achieve this goal. The tests in Wakkanai each held different purposes aimed to resolve challenges that still affect drone operation – implementing new ideas to solve regional issues (seal monitoring), establishing guidelines (combatting fisheries poaching), addressing practical issues for already legalized operations (takeoff and landing at passenger airports), and improving guidelines (delivery of pharmaceutical supplies).
ANA noted that the series of tests in Wakkanai City, Hokkaido conducted, including drone delivery of pharmaceutical goods, drone operation at an airport with scheduled airline flights, and operation under decentralized flight management system, are all first-of-its-kind tests in Japan.
