Jeppesen and Kittyhawk Team Up on LAANC Drone Authorizations

Thousands of square miles of airspace will be open for instant authorization to Kittyhawk customers and create an opportunity for the next stage of unmanned air traffic

AUVSI Xponential, Denver, Colo. | 01 May 2018 | By Jeppesen and Kittyhawk
Kittyhawk, the market leader in enterprise drone operations software, today announced a collaboration with Jeppesen, a Boeing Company, where the companies have started working toward being to offer digital airspace authorization directly from the FAA into Kittyhawk’s platform. Upon FAA approval, Kittyhawk’s elite enterprise customers will be able to receive digital authorization to operate within thousands of square miles of airspace in near-real time and will be able to send digital flight plan notifications.

Kittyhawk’s unwavering commitment to quality and utility means that this will be a Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) implementation unlike any other LAANC implementation currently on the market. Starting with their dedication to intuitive design, Kittyhawk and Jeppesen will streamline the LAANC authorization process to be as easy to use as modern drones are to fly.

Jeppesen and Kittyhawk’s combined capabilities will deliver industry-leading navigation data from Jeppesen and UAS platform operations management from Kittyhawk, to simplify commercial drone operations. As a global leader in aviation services, Jeppesen provides long-standing experience and credibility to fortify a disruptive, early stage company in Kittyhawk.

“We’re approaching LAANC as more than just a faster authorization, but a critical piece to an effective drone operation,” said Jon Hegranes, CEO of Kittyhawk. “Real-time authorization without real-time visibility, enforcement, or compliance leaves more problems than solutions for commercial operators.”

Over the coming months, the FAA will release over 2,000 square miles of new airspace for drones to fly in densely populated areas and near airports. This new airspace will be a boon to the commercial drone industry and enable more flights than ever before. Some of Kittyhawk’s enterprise customers estimate that they will be able to fly up to twice as many flights with LAANC versus what had been an up to 90-day manual authorization process.

“This strategic alliance with Kittyhawk will help us gain a strong foothold in the dynamic and expanding UAV/drone market for commercial operations,” said Mike Abbott, director, Jeppesen Data Solutions. “Eliminating manual processes through data-driven navigation and LAANC operations management matches perfectly with our dedication to simplifying complex procedures in traditional aviation fields and we look forward to exciting new developments with our Kittyhawk relationship, moving forward.”

Kittyhawk plans to start deploying LAANC to enterprise customers in the coming weeks and will have a full deployment available to the public shortly after. Kittyhawk and Jeppesen will continue to work together to safely empower the commercial drone industry with more flight opportunities.

Looking ahead, LAANC is just the beginning of larger unmanned traffic management (UTM) objectives that Kittyhawk and Jeppesen have the opportunity to explore as the national airspace evolves.