Skyports Drone Services, Carbonix Partner to Lower Barriers to Drone Adoption in Energy and Mining

Skyports Drone Services is at the forefront of global drone regulations, operations, standards and technology in the drone space.  Carbonix is a leading provider of BVLOS aircraft and sensors for a variety of industries.  Together, their combined expertise will lower the barriers to drone adoption in mining and energy and help scale operations.

Skyports and Carbonix Combine Forces to Lower Barriers to Drone Adoption

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

Sydney-based Skyports Drone Services has partnered with fellow Australian brand Carbonix to use their eVTOL UAV in new BVLOS applications across the country. The first phase of this new relationship will see Skyports embedding pilots into Carbonix’s operations, flying for Carbonix’s clients in the energy and mining industry and allowing for an expansion of Carbonix’ suite of drone services. While Skyports is active in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, this is their first commercial partnership in their native Australia.

“We’re really excited to be partnering with an experienced and trusted global operator,” said Carbonix CEO, Philip van der Burg. “Skyports Drone Services fills a gap with their scalable end-to-end operational experience in flying fixed-wing VTOL UAVs. We look forward to having their pilots enhance our BVLOS capabilities and forging a lasting partnership that sees both companies exchange knowledge and expertise.”

Skyports Drone Services Director, Alex Brown said, “We don’t just fly, we also lead on regulation, compliance, safety management, airspace, and stakeholder management. Our partnership with Carbonix will apply this knowledge to boost operational capabilities and enable the company to scale its infrastructure inspection services. Proving the safety case for drone operations is crucial to the long-term growth and success of the industry. We look forward to sharing our operational knowledge to support Carbonix and promote the adoption of drone operations.”

Matt Shurdy is the first pilot to begin work for Carbonix after stints in the UK and Europe, specializing in the kind of infrastructure inspection work Carbonix is trying to bring to Australia. In the press release, he said, “In my first few months here in Australia I’ve been focused on the development of best-in-class safety procedures, customer demonstrations and training with the Volanti aircraft to assist in the development of UAS use cases. Australia is on the brink of unlocking huge potential withdrone operations and I’m grateful to be able to support this journey with the Carbonix team.”

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Ian McNabb is a staff writer based in Boston, MA. His interests include geopolitics, emerging technologies, environmental sustainability, and Boston College sports.