London Heliport reports operational benefits using Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM solution

A case study published by Altitude Angel finds London Heliport improved safety and increased efficiency following implementation of the company’s GuardianUTM platform.

Sitting opposite Chelsea Harbour for over 50 years, London Heliport is the only CAA licensed heliport serving the City of London. Providing a huge suite of luxury services to both VIPs and the business community, including private charters and airport transfers, it also serves as a departure and arrival point for events both in and around the city.

The heliport also provides local emergency services such as the London Air Ambulance with the facilities they need, helping them keep people safe and save lives.

London Heliport’s Flight-Restriction Zone (FRZ) encompasses a number of locations: Clapham Common, Battersea Park, Stamford Bridge stadium, HMP Wandsworth, and many more. Unsurprisingly, hundreds of drone operators apply to fly within London Heliport’s FRZ, with the numbers increasing each year.

Each application requires its own risk assessment to ensure the safety of the heliport’s staff and passengers, not to mention the time and resources spent handling each request. Processing up to 800 applications a year meant London Heliport was investing resources into 400 hours (and rising) of drone flight approvals.

To streamline the approvals process while maintaining strict operational safety, London Heliport selected Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM solution, and deployed the technology in August 2023

GuardianUTM Approval Services reduce the burden of applications while maintaining operational safety, says the case study. Drone operators use one of Altitude Angel’s free drone planning tools to submit a flight request to operate in London Heliport’s FRZ. The platform consolidates flight and operator information, including administration fees.

“From half an hour per application, London Heliport saw dramatic time savings. Getting the approval service on GuardianUTM changed the game completely. Straightforward applications take significantly less time. Even ones with issues are much easier and faster. It has shaved off so much time,” said Matthew Rice, Heliport Manager at London Heliport. “GuardianUTM makes it easier to conduct thorough risk assessments by bringing all the necessary data together in one place and the reduction in time has enabled us to keep our administrative fees from rising as demand increases.”The London Heliport team can see ground and air data from within London Heliport’s FRZ, as well as providing situational awareness of activity outside the FRZ, in a single view. Making it not just quicker and easier to conduct risk assessments, but ensuring such assessments are more comprehensive. “The situational awareness map is incredible. What you can see on there, and all the extra information is brilliant. This was one of the big selling points for us. It all shows up on the system. It gives us a picture of what’s going on,” he added.

(Image: Altitude Angel’s platform being used at London Heliport)