The Biggest Challenges for the Drone Industry

This year the annual drone industry survey asked a new question to drone professionals regarding the biggest challenge for the drone industry as a whole. In the past years (2020-2022), the primary challenge was by far the global pandemic and its effects. However, the effects have largely subsided and it is no longer considered the biggest challenge, meaning it was time for an update on the data.

It is likely that drone professionals (and especially drone operators) will not be surprised to learn that regulatory obstacles are considered the biggest challenge by most drone companies around the globe. Although many have managed to start and even revamp their operations, the lack of well-defined and implemented regulatory structures has prevented many drone companies from scaling their operations. Moreover, the most profitable, unique, and exciting operations are advanced in nature (i.e. BLOS, OOP, at night), yet these are the very operations that often rely on exemptions rather than specific regulatory frameworks.

Equally well-known within the industry is the second biggest challenge: public acceptance/awareness of drones. Many experts who have talked to average citizens are familiar with the "privacy issues" and "noise concern" fears that some people might immediately associate with drones. Although drones do make some noise and are capable of using their cameras to observe people, these fears are often unwarranted given the way commercial drones actually operate in practice. Nevertheless, educating society about why these concerns are likely exaggerated and often unnecessary will continue to be a challenge for industry experts.

"Inflation and economic cycles" was the third of the top three challenges, followed closely by "domestic politics". Considering the former is part of natural business cycles, it is unlikely to remain a major challenge in the coming 18 months, while the latter can also be either temporary or part of a bigger cultural picture.

Learn more about what drone companies had to say in the results of our annual Drone Industry Survey. You can download the full and FREE white paper here:

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