Dronamics' Australian-made cargo drones to deliver across Europe

Dronamics, the world’s first cargo drone airline with a licence to operate in Europe, has announced it has been officially assigned both IATA and ICAO designator codes. Dronamics is the first cargo drone airline to secure these codes, granting it recognition on par with other international airlines.

Manufactured in Australia by Sydney composites manufacturer Quickstep, the Dronamics Black Swan is a new type of cargo drone, remotely piloted and fuel-efficient, suitable for a longer range and higher load factor than electric solutions.

The drones have a capacity of 3.5 m³ or 350 kg, and a range of up to 2500 km — the equivalent of Hong Kong to Osaka or Dubai to New Delhi.

Dronamics has been assigned the IATA designator code OY, along with the accounting prefix 651. IATA codes play a critical role in the aviation industry, serving as essential identifiers for airlines, their destinations and cargo documents. These codes enable Dronamics to be officially recognised as an airline entity, supporting commercial interline agreements with other IATA carriers, facilitating connections with freight forwarders and enabling the publication of flight schedules through OAG, the world’s leading provider of digital flight information. The IATA 2-letter Airline Designator code OY will be used to establish flight numbers for both scheduled and non-scheduled flights, providing standardised identification across its operations. Additionally, the Airline Accounting Prefix 651 grants Dronamics the ability to issue Air Waybills (AWBs), facilitating seamless cargo uplift within its extensive network.

“Becoming the first cargo drone airline with both IATA and ICAO designator codes is a testament to Dronamics’ pioneering spirit and our vision for faster, cheaper and green air cargo for everyone, everywhere. This recognition by the leading aviation community reinforces our position on the international aviation map,” said Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of Dronamics.

“Quickstep shares Dronamics’ passion for innovation and this is an exciting partnership,” said Mark Burgess, CEO of Quickstep, on the announcement of the manufacturing partnership last year. “We are delighted to be taking their Black Swan aircraft from prototype to production. The Dronamics solution could well revolutionise the middle-mile cargo delivery sector and this partnership gives Quickstep the opportunity to provide our engineering and manufacturing expertise into delivering a large sophisticated cargo drone. This is also a great opportunity to advance the Australian aerospace sector, something we are very passionate about.”

Initially operating in Europe, Dronamics hopes to enter the Australian cargo market later this year.