Belgian drone traffic management platform rakes in €10 million from Japanese government

Antwerp-based drone traffic management startup Unifly has raised €10 million in funding from Terra Drone and Japanese government fund JOIN. The extra capital will be used to develop its product for sustainable unmanned traffic management (UTM) offerings. Through this investment, both the Japanese entities will support the development of the UTM system which enable safe and efficient drone and aircraft flight management.

Founded in 2015 by air traffic management and drone experts, the unmanned traffic management (UTM) system provider connects supervisors with drone pilots to safely integrate drones into the airspace. Utilising Terra Drone’s knowledge and network, Unifly intends to expand UTM worldwide.

Andres Van Swalm, co-founder, Unifly said: “The investment strengthens Unifly's position as the sustainable UTM partner for the future. It will enable us to pursue our vision of enabling autonomous aviation.”

The funding also marks JOIN’s first investment in the drone industry. Tatsuhiko Takesada, president and CEO, JOIN added: “Through its equity participation in Unifly, JOIN expects to contribute to the realisation of safe and secure aircraft, airport and port operations and enhancement of drone operation management. We aim to support the expansion of the use of drones in a wide range of fields and further build its growth in the drone industry.”

Toru Tokushige, CEO, Terra Drone added: “Our airspace is going to get more crowded than ever. There's an urgent need for a global traffic management solution to enable safe and efficient drone and UAM operations. Terra Drone aims to be the leading player building the digital infrastructure in the sky together with Unifly.”