AirData swiftly opens its arms to clients of closing Skyward

Business, like nature, hates a void, which may explain why drone management and flight analysis company AirData has moved to transition customers away from Skyward less than a week after Verizon announced it was closing the unit.

AirData made the announcement Monday, one working day after Verizon’s abrupt revelation that it is winding Skyward down toward closure on June 30. To assist Skyward customers – many of whom were as taken aback by the move as most industry observers were – AirData has created a tailored process to assist those businesses transfer management of their UAV fleets and data storage to its own system.

AirData says its migration scripts simplify the transition process for Skyward customers. The company adds the process is automated, rapid, and enables nearly immediate use of AirData services, whose prices can be negotiated according to the budgetary restraints of arriving clients. 

It’s unclear whether the quick response to fill the upcoming void created by the looming disappearance of Skyward was a fast reaction to sudden opportunities created, or if the company had worked with Verizon to offer a transition process for its customers. 

AirData’s note that “many customers have already migrated to AirData’s fleet management platform prior to Skyward’s announcement” is a suggestion it may have been the latter – though absence of any language stipulating cooperation leaves the question unanswered.

Either way, the move stands to further increase business activity for AirData, which says over 23 million client flights have been made under its drone management, averaging out to about 20,000 outings per day.

“We are here to help Skyward customers who are unexpectedly rushed to find a way to continue their operations uninterrupted,” said Eran Steiner, CEO of AirData. “Our goal is to minimize the complexity and learning curve for your organization. We’ve helped many customers migrate to AirData in the past, so please reach out on how we can assist.”

In making its announcement last week, Verizon explained its decision to close Skyward as based on “market agility.” It added members of the “Verizon Robotics team will be focusing on our efforts on ground robot management, connectivity services, and solution development” once drone services are ceased.

AirData has tech agreements with several drone sector companies, including Skyward partners Skydio and Parrot.

Read more: How Verizon shuttering Skyward impacts Parrot ANAFI Ai drone rollout