In a move that could help open up the skies to commercial drone deliveries, an automated drone-tracking system is being co-developed by Nats, the air traffic control service, and a start-up, Altitude Angel.

The system should help keep drones in the lower-level air space, and away from light aircraft or commercial flights – as well as keeping drones apart from each other – and flying beyond line-of-sight operators.

Altitude Angel has previously collaborated with Nats on an app used to provide guidance to drone pilots about safe places to fly.

Commercial deliveries from vendors such as Amazon are an obvious potential service that such a system might allow, but medical supplies and search and rescue could also be enabled. The potential also exists to shift some goods from road transport.

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