Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority has approved operations for two U-space drone services providers in the country, opening the door for nationwide drone flights.

Airwayz and High Lander Aviation have been approved to offer unmanned flight management (UTM) services, following a new requirement that all commercial drone operators in Israel must broadcast their location and establish connections with a U-space service provider via a UTM system.

High Lander Aviation will offer its Vega UTM system. “This is a significant milestone in the development of global aviation and we are extremely proud to be at the forefront,” said Alon Abelson, CEO and cofounder. “The CAAI’s ruling is the beginning of a new era—we expect to see regulators worldwide following this lead and finally enabling uncrewed aviation to reach its full potential while maintaining safety.”

“It is an honor to be selected by the CAAI to provide UTM services across Israel,” said Eyal Zor, CEO and cofounder of Airwayz. “This license marks an important achievement, as it not only certifies us to offer U-Space services across the entirety of Israel officially, but it also gives us hands-on experience in managing real-time aerial pictures of drones, monitoring their traffic, scaling operations and achieving high commercialization in a real-life scenario.”