FAA to accept new applications for drone airspace service suppliers

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will open the application period to become a service supplier for the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) on May 1, 2024.  

LAANC is a collaboration between the FAA and the drone industry that enables the safe integration of drones into the nation’s airspace. FAA-approved LAANC Service Suppliers help drone pilots obtain FAA airspace authorizations to operate in controlled airspace below 400 feet. 

The schedule is as follows:  

• Application Period (05/01– 05/31) 
• FAA Submission Review (06/03– 07/05)
• Technical Interviews (07/08– 08/09)
• Formal Testing (08/12– 10/11)
• LAANC Go-Live (10/14– 11/13) 

Applicants must have a mature product when they submit their applications.

This year, for the first time, new LAANC Service Suppliers may apply to become approved providers of the B4UFLY Service.  LAANC does not grant Service Suppliers the authority to regulate the airspace or grant access without FAA approval. 

The FAA’s B4UFLY service shows where recreational flyers can and cannot fly. The FAA has already approved four companies (Airspace Link, AutoPylot, Avision and UASidekick) to provide B4UFLY services through desktop and mobile applications.