AirMap, one of the most popular apps used by drone operators to gain a Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) nod to fly in controlled airspace at or below 400 feet, has announced the decision to shut down its LAANC service.
Come June 22, 2023, the AirMap drone app will cease to exist. LAANC authorizations through the app have already been disabled.
If you have a LAANC authorization with a pending or accepted status that was scheduled prior to the shutdown date, you will not be affected. But if you have an authorization with a pending or accepted status scheduled after the shutdown date, you can expect the AirMap team to get in touch with you to discuss alternatives.
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The airspace management company, which was acquired by Walmart-backed drone delivery firm DroneUp in 2021, explains that it is exiting the LAANC space because it wants to dedicate all its resources to enable autonomy and beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight at scale.
“As a part of this new direction, we have made the difficult decision to shut down the AirMap application on June 22nd, 2023,” says AirMap. “This is not a decision we take lightly. We understand the significance that AirMap holds for so many, and we simply want to say thank you to the entire AirMap community for your years of commitment, contribution, and safe flying.”
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Joshua Ziering, who founded Aloft, another leading LAANC service provider, has weighed in on the development by explaining the cost dynamics behind the service, which is commonly available to drone pilots without any charge.
“While the FAA does not charge a fee for a UAS Service Supplier to offer LAANC but the software and process development to be able to offer the service, the intensive onboarding process, and continual upkeep of statistics, data, and even security audits make it a very expensive proposition. In building LAANC for iOS, Android, and Web alongside our cybersecurity posture and award-winning fleet management product, we’ve spent millions of dollars,” says Ziering.
Find the complete list of FAA-approved LAANC service providers here.
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