FlyFreely spreads its wings into New Zealand

An Australian startup providing state-of-the-art software to the rapidly growing drone industry is soaring into the overseas market.

Brisbane-based company FlyFreely has expanded into New Zealand, with plans afoot to launch in several other countries throughout 2021.

Founder and chief executive Dr David Cole said the company liaised with local operators, training and unmanned traffic management (UTM) providers to ensure the platform met local requirements.

“We have also signed a memorandum of understanding with Airways New Zealand, to build a native integration system with its Airshare UTM, so our customers can access controlled airspace easily across the country,” he said.

FlyFreely, which launched in 2017, provides customers with all of the tools to manage their operational, regulatory and fleet management needs to safely and effectively operate drones anywhere in the world.

“Being former commercial drone operators ourselves we understand that each country has unique regulatory and operational requirements,” Dr Cole said.

“One size does not fit all in the drone industry.”

Dr Cole said FlyFreely’s highly-modular technology enabled the team to add the requirements of any country to its platform in a matter of days. 

“Non-technical people can build unique customised workflows and forms that take into account regulatory, company and site requirements without the need to rewrite any code,” he said.

Dr Cole said FlyFreely’s compliance automation technology was significantly improving the operational efficiencies of its customers, while also heightening quality and safety.

Previously pen and paper was relied upon to manage these crucial parts of each business.

Dr Cole said the uptake of drones was widespread across several industries, not just first adopters from the mining and agricultural sectors.

“Media outlets, energy companies, local councils, state government agencies, emergency services and construction companies are all looking to utilise drone technology,” he said.

“Businesses are also allocating more resources to its drone programs, with many now increasing the number of specialist staff from one to an entire team.”

Dr Cole said he was hopeful of an expansion into countries in the Asian region this year, while FlyFreely’s recent capital raise has also buoyed its plans to launch further afield in the coming 12 months.

 “We welcome expressions of interest from drone operators and other potential operators, consultants and training providers that would like a locally tailored drone management solution,” he said.