Lublin and Jastków in the centre of drone revolution

Almost 20 municipalities or their consortia from all over the country took part in the competition to become a site for the implementation of a system for the coordination of drone flights in the airspace. Only eight of them made it to the second stage of the contest, and the winners, apart from the partnership of Lublin and Jastków, included a consortium of Gliwice, Pilchowice, Sośnicowice and the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, and a partnership of municipalities of Lesznowola and Nadarzyn. In collaboration with the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency, the winners will write a new chapter of the drone revolution that is just around the corner.

The competition ended with the selection of the three winning consortia of municipalities. The choice was not easy, as each participant displayed exceptional abilities and commitment. Their determination and ingenuity made the decision really difficult – said Janusz Janiszewski, CEO of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency.

The project is about developing a modern environment that will facilitate the growth of the drone industry. Residents and businesses located in Lublin will benefit from a new quality of public services with the use of drones. Thanks to the system implemented by the Agency, municipal services will gain tools for efficient monitoring and analysis of air pollution and consequently reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, controlling road safety, locating sources of fire once they occur, or estimating losses resulting from natural disasters.

Results of the competition show that we are well prepared and have an excellent ecosystem in place to implement alternative transportation services using drones. Now we’ve got a chance to become a leader in airspance management, which will create new opportunities for further growth of our city. I would like to thank all those involved in the application process, especially our partners from Jastków and businessmen from both municipalities for their contribution – says Deputy Mayor of Lublin Artur Szymczyk.

Lublin and Jastków will have an influence on the development of drone traffic, and the system is expected to stimulate the growth of the local drone services market. Ultimately, citizens and companies from both municipalities will have a chance to benefit from drone deliveries of parcels, documents, medical and food transport, or monitoring of critical infrastructure. But most importantly, drone traffic in Lublin and Jastków will become much safer for both residents and drone operators. Under the project, the area of 120 sq kilometres located in the north-western part of Lublin and the almost entire territory of Jastków will become a site monitored through a system of transmitters and receivers mounted on municipal buildings and software allowing for real-time monitoring of drone flights and reacting to incidences that might occur. The area will also feature designated fenced and monitored sites for the unplanned landing of drones, which will be secured against theft of a drone or a parcel it may carry. The operators will gain a tool to better plan their flights, monitor the activity of other drones in the airspace, as well as avoid routes which at specific times might pose a threat to participants of gatherings, ceremonies, concerts or other events that take place on the ground.

Our intention was to show that the selection of our proposal and the implementation of the service in the location we’ve jointly designated will enjoy a great interest from local businesses. Our application was backed by over 15 companies that either provide drone services, or would like to benefit from such services once the project is implemented – adds Teresa Kot, Head of Jastków Commune.

Undoubtedly, the service to be implemented under the project will help Lublin and Jastków become even more attractive for investors who wish to test, develop and offer their drone services, which we believe will translate into the creation of new jobs and contribute to Lublin’s growth as a Smart City.

Drone deliveries are an attractive alternative to traditional deliveries. Now we might pave the way to new trends in drone applications. The solutions we will come up with will have a real impact on the development of drone industry on a national, European and maybe even global scale. Thanks to the collaboration of local governments and businesses, we will have a perfect ecosystem to implement new drone services and projects – says Kamil Chrzan, Project Manager at LDT –  Lublinensis Dron Transport company who supported the application process.

The competition “Advanced large-scale flights of unmanned aircrafts” is implemented as part of the project called “Digital services for unmanned aircrafts” co-financed by the European Union under the Operational Programme Digital Poland 2014-2020.