Cargo drone developer and operator DRONAMICS last week obtained the EU’s Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC), becoming the first cargo drone company to achieve such a feat.

The license, granted by the Transport Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (TM-CAD), the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, is recognised in all EU member states and allows operations in accordance with European Regulation (EU).

Dronamics said the LUC is the highest authorisation currently achievable under European drone operations and the first one issued in the EU for middle-mile cargo operations. It will allow the company to self-authorise flight operations of its Black Swan aircraft across EU countries, including beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.

The announcement made during the European Business Aviation Conference Exhibition comes at a key moment as the company prepares for the first commercial flights of its flagship unmanned cargo aircraft, aka the Black Swan, later this year.

DRONAMICS plans to scale up its operations and run its first commercial flights out of Malta and Italy later this year, linking key hubs across the European region.