There are almost 60,000
drone
operators
in Italy
and flying robots are used above all in the video recording sectors, in technical and industrial services, in training. The market is in difficulty, due to slowness in the regulatory and bureaucratic fields, but the forecasts are positive and indicate significant growth in the near future. These are the results of the survey presented at the "Rome Drone Conference" underway in Rome, organized by Ifimedia and Mediarkè, in collaboration with ENAC, AOPA Italy-APR Division and the European University of Rome.
According to data from the National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), in Italy there are
59,901
operators in the drone sector
.
operators. "There is still no reliable data on the drone market in Italy and with this survey we have tried to photograph the current situation of the sector in Italy", observed the president of Rome Drone Conference, Luciano Castro. 176 professionals in the sector, was organized by AopaA Italia-APR Division, Rome Drone Conference and Quadricottero News.
As for the professional applications of drones, 24% of the sample declared that they use them for
video recordings
(TV, cinema, journalism, events); the use of drones for
technical services is
growing, with 44% of the answers
(aerial photogrammetry, building and industrial surveys, monitoring of large networks, precision agriculture); This is followed
by training and consultancy activities
with 17% (training centers, technical documentation, courses) and
operational services
with 13% (spreading of materials, collection of samples, freight transport, piloting on behalf of third parties).
Furthermore, according to the survey, the entry into force last January of the new European and Italian regulations on drones still had uncertain effects on the national market: for 25% of the sample it improved it in terms of economic dimension and operational clarity, for 21 , 6% blocked it due to shortages and bureaucratic delays, for 17.0% it made it worse, while for 26.7% it was irrelevant. On the other hand, the forecasts for the future of the sector in Italy are optimistic: for 54.5% of the sample the evolution of the market will be growing, for 13.1% very growing, while for 21.0% it will be stationary and only 8.5% expect a decline.
Intended for transporting goods and people
More and more used in the Italian skies, drones have a decidedly growing future, in which they can be used to transport goods and people, but to prepare for these new scenarios we need shared rules. This was stated by Maurizio Paggetti, Maurizio Paggetti, Chief Operating Officer of ENAV and CEO of D-Flight, speaking at the Rome Drone Conference.
"Enav is ready with D-Flight to integrate the new aircraft safely and efficiently in the Italian skies, but if we want to work effectively we must continue with the careful work of writing shared rules, which we have already been doing with Enac for some time, with the goal of making flight cooperative and insisting on an ecosystem of regulation and implementation that evolves at the same pace ", said Paggetti.
A future is being prepared under the banner of what experts call Urban Air Traffic Management, a scenario in which conventional traffic control is destined to meet drone control. It is a "fascinating" challenge, observed Paggetti, and "the integration of operations can take place in a safe and effective manner only if supported by the integration of services, an enabling element of the scenarios being defined and implemented, through the evolution of national and European regulatory and technological context ".
The evolution, he continued, "leads to having to consider both the aspect relating to drones for freight transport, infrastructure monitoring, and the transport of people over short distances, even 35-40 kilometers. Harmonization and integration of new aircraft with traditional ones is one of the most important challenges for ENAV ".