/Solutions Project Skyway

Project Skyway is part of Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge Programme. The Skyway consortium are working together in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority to revolutionise the world of aviation by enabling drones to travel Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) - extending the distance they can travel, a factor that is currently limiting their full potential. Once drones can travel long distances safely alongside other sky users they can be more readily used for emergency response, search and rescue, the transportation of organs and medical supplies, conducting safer, more efficient surveys – amongst many other beneficial uses.

Leading the project’s consortium, which includes BT, Altitude Angel is building 165 miles (265km) of ‘drone superhighways’ connecting airspace above major cities through the south of the UK. The Skyway superhighway network, enabled using Altitude Angel’s patented ARROW technology, will unlock the huge potential offered by unmanned aerial vehicles and be a catalyst to enable growth in the urban air mobility industry. 

The superhighway ensures drones or UAVs are not required to carry specific onboard sensors to ‘see’ other aerial traffic: instead, it brings together higher-power, better sensors from multiple manufacturers, on the ground, along a sensor network, which in turn is then processed in real-time to provide guidance.  

This means drones and UAVs don’t need to compromise payload, range or efficiency and can ‘tap into’ even higher resolution data, from multiple sensors, from the ground-based network. For operators who opt in, the platform delivered automated flight, at scale, in unsegregated airspace at an inclusive, not exclusive, price-point.  

The sensor system deployments started in July 2023 and have continued throughout the project in a growing number of locations. The first trial flights also began in July 2023 using the operators existing permissions. This meant drone operators used permissions they already had in place with the Civil Aviation Authority.  During this initial phase, a trained supervisor oversaw all flights in a command centre to ensure a seamless and safe transition.

As the project progressed all data and recommendations were submitted for review by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This comprehensive review process ensured that there was continuous feedback from consultation with relevant stakeholders and the necessary safety protocols are being integrated into the 'superhighway' before the end of the project in January 2025.