AirMap LAANC

AirMap whose goal is to make “drones part of everyday life by building the airspace services platform to let innovation take flight.” has announced that fifty airports are preparing to provide LAANC authorization this fall.

Here is the announcement:

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Miami International, Phoenix Sky Harbor International, San Jose International, and Reno-Tahoe International, among others, are expected to offer automated authorization in controlled airspace before the end of the year, with the rest of the nation’s airports to follow in 2018.

Today, flights in controlled airspace, at certain times of day, or near sensitive locations require authorization from the FAA. Authorization requests are subject to long waiting periods of up to 90 days and labor-intensive manual approvals, which can delay or even prevent commercial operations from getting off the ground.

To address these challenges, the FAA has convened a small group of 12 companies, including AirMap, to determine how third party vendors can help the FAA provide automated authorization for safer and more efficient drone operations at scale.

This Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, or LAANC, will allow drone operators to apply for instant, digital approval to fly in U.S. controlled airspace using the same applications they use for flight planning and in-flight situational awareness.

LAANC began earlier this summer with the FAA’s release of UAS facility maps depicting specific areas and altitudes near more than 300 airports where drone operators can request airspace authorization more effectively and efficiently. Within 24 hours, these facility maps were available to commercial drone operators on the AirMap platform.

And now, 50 of the nation’s airports have been chosen to begin providing LAANC authorization by the end of the year, giving us a sneak peek at how Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) will work in the U.S. – and how AirMap is making UTM possible for the commercial drone industry at scale.

The complete list of the first 50 airports can be found below. Learn more about what LAANC means for the commercial drone industry in AirMap cofounder Greg McNeal’s recent article in Forbes.

 

Class Code Airport
B CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
B MIA Miami International Airport
B PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
C ANC Anchorage International Airport
C GRB Green Bay- Austin Straubel Int’l Airport
C LNK Lincoln Airport
C RNO Reno- Tahoe International Airport
C SJC San Jose International Airport
D LHD Lake Hood Seaplane Base
D MRI Merrill Field
E ABR Aberdeen Regional Airport
E AMW Ames Municipal Airport
E ATY Watertown Regional Airport
E AXN Alexandria Municipal Airport
E BJI Bemìdji Regional Airport
E BKX Brookings Regional Airport
E BRD Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport
E CIU Chippewa County International Airport
E CMX Houghton County Memorial Airport
E DIK Dickinson Airport
E DVL Devils Lake Regional Airport
E EAR Kearney Regional Airport
E ELO Ely Municipal Airport
E ESC Delta County Airport
E FFM Fergus Falls Municipal Airport
E FOD Fort Dodge Regional Airport
E FRM Fairmont Municipal Airport
E HIB Range Regional Airport
E HON Huron Regional Airport
E HSI Hastings Municipal Airport
E IKV Ankeny Regional Airport
E IMT Ford Airport
E INL Falls International Airport
E IWD Gogebic- Iron County Airport
E JMS Jamestown Regional Airport
E MCW Mason City Municipal Airport
E MHE Mitchell Municipal Airport
E MKT Mankato Regional Airport
E OFK Norfolk Regional Airport
E OLU Columbus Airport
E OSC Wurtsmith Air Force Base
E OTG Worthington Municipal Airport
E PIR Pierre Regional Airport
E PLN Pellston Regional Airport
E RHI Rhinelander- Oneida County Airport
E RWF Redwood Falls Municipal
E SLB Storm Lake Airport
E SPW Spencer Municipal Airport
E TVF Thief River Falls Regional Airport
E YKN Chan Gurney Airport