"It is a designated and enclosed area, which means it falls outside the scope of the European regulations governing drone operations, so we can do things there that would normally not be possible with drones," said Madis Sügis, specialist in the aviation services department at the academy.
Maiken Kull, the academy's vice rector for education and development, said the project represents part of a broader transformation in Estonia's drone sector; the academy is working toward creating more testing areas and environments across Estonia.
"Looking at how quickly different stakeholders want to develop testing infrastructure in Estonia, I hope the picture will become much more diverse, with multiple testing opportunities across the country, or even more than that. These testing facilities and areas should take into account the need to test different technologies at different stages of maturity and under different conditions," Kull said.
The testing area is a large enclosed space covered with netting and separated from the rest of airport traffic, meaning it will not interfere with operations at the adjacent airport. At the same time, it allows tests to be carried out that would not be permitted in open airspace for flight safety reasons.
Where drone development previously often required accommodating weather conditions, space limitations, and regulatory restrictions, testing can now be conducted much more freely and safely, and the facility can also be used to test more advanced systems including drones capable of navigating and operating autonomously and without a direct controller.
The facility will also be used for both education and development work, ranging from beginners' first training exercises to the testing of new tech.
Kull added that the intention is that in the future Estonia might become a center for drone tech development and export, as well as training.
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