January 28th, 2020
Japan Airlines and Yabu City Sign Agreement to Perform UAV Trial Flight in Spring 2020

Demonstrating the Ability to Transport Goods in Mountainous Areas with UAV Technology developed through Terra Drone Corporation

• JAL and Terra Drone reach deal to test UAV technology
• Full-scale demo flight in the city of Yabu, Japan during spring season of 2020
• To verify the feasibility of transporting goods in mountainous areas during an emergency

 

TOKYO – Japan Airlines (JAL) and Yabu City today entered into an agreement to verify the feasibility of utilizing UAV technology to transport emergency goods to unpopulated areas in Japan with the cooperation of Terra Drone Corporation (Terra Drone).

Since the summer of 2019, JAL and Terra Drone have been in discussions to perform demonstrations utilizing fixed-wing drones, utilizing Terra UTM technology. Terra UTM, stands for unmanned aircraft system traffic management, utilizes flight plans and flight information corresponding to various communication methods.

Based on the agreement, JAL and Terra Drone will aim to solve regional issues by providing logistics services using UAVs, such as delivery of pharmaceuticals and other emergency supplies.

Outline of the Cooperation Agreement

1. Demonstration and verification of new delivery services by using UAVs in mountainous areas
2. Joint study for utilization of Air Mobility

Outline of the Demonstration

• Date: Spring of 2020
• Flight Route: 25km from Yoka Municipal Hospital to Deai, Clinic over Yagi River
• Transport: Relief supplies in emergency situations, such as bandages, over-the-counter medicines
• Operation System: Terra UTM

Main Roles

• JAL: Providing operational knowledge accumulated via aircraft operation experience
• Terra Drone: Technical Cooperation by Terra UTM and operation of small fixed-wing UAV
• Yabu City: Coordination with the local community and related parties for the demonstration

External Supporters

• Yoka Municipal Hospital, Deai Clinic and Council of Deai School District: Provision of demonstration fields
• Mediceo Corporation: Provision of test equipment (transportation box, simulation ampoule, temperature logger)

Key Goals
JAL aims to develop a new type of service in the air transportation industry, utilizing new UAV technology, by delivering medical care in remote areas and achieve key sustainable development goals.

Terra Drone aims to be a leading company in commercial drone services. In particular, Terra drone believes in the potential of drones, driving the Aerial Industrial Revolution and provide convenient services.

Yabu City has announced the use of drones in agriculture and is looking to expand the technology into other fields, such as disaster, logistics, and medical care assistance. Through these demonstrations, Yabu City will work on the deregulation of UAV technology, aiming to assist unpopulated regional areas in Japan.

About Terra Drone Corporation
Established in 2016, Terra Drone Corporation has quickly become one of the world’s largest industrial drone solution companies employing over 550 drone industry professionals. The company’s head office is located in Tokyo, Japan, and more than 25 branches are spread globally throughout Asia, Europe, Americas, Africa, and Oceania. Terra Drone provides innovative enterprise drone services for oil and gas, utilities, renewables, mining, construction, and GIS sectors, among others.
Previous investments include Unifly, which specializes in unmanned traffic management (UTM); C-Astral, which develops high-endurance fixed-wing UAVs; RoNik Inspectioneering, which provides wireless inspection services for confined spaces; Ventus Geospatial, which has patented gas leak detection technology; and Inkonova, which has developed SLAM technology for underground mines. Going forward, we will continue to invest in technology companies with cutting-edge solutions for drones.
For all the latest news and information about Terra Drone, visit the company’s LinkedIn and Twitter handles.