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Insights from the World Police Summit 2025

At the 2025 edition of the World Police Summit in Dubai, we presented a clear message: public safety drone operations are no longer small-scale experiments. Increasingly, they are becoming embedded in the day-to-day functioning of police, fire, border control, and emergency services.

But as drone operations scale, so too does their complexity. What begins as a tactical tool piloted by a handful of officers can quickly evolve into a mission-critical capability, requiring fleet management, airspace coordination, training oversight, and operational governance.

At AirHub, we support this transition in two ways: through our Drone Operations Platform, which provides the digital infrastructure for managing complex operations, and through our consultancy services, which help organisations build compliant, scalable, and sustainable programs.

Here’s how we’re helping agencies move from isolated drone teams to integrated operational divisions.

Structuring Drone Programs Like an Airline

Our approach is rooted in aviation. We don’t treat drones as gadgets or ad hoc tools. We treat them as aircraft—flown by certified crews, governed by procedures, and subject to airspace constraints.

This mindset leads to a shift in structure. As drone programs grow, agencies must think and operate more like airlines. That means establishing:

• A clear governance model

• Defined training and competence frameworks

• Documented SOPs, checklists, and emergency protocols

• Technical oversight of airframes, batteries, payloads, and software

• Risk-based flight planning aligned with national and international regulations

These aren’t aspirational ideas—they are practical necessities for safe, compliant, and repeatable drone operations.

The Four Areas Every Public Safety Drone Program Must Master

From our consultancy work with public safety agencies across Europe and the Middle East, we’ve identified four core areas that determine whether a drone program succeeds or stagnates:

1. Organisational Governance and Compliance

Too often, drone operations start without a clear operating structure. We help agencies define roles, responsibilities, escalation paths, and internal controls. This includes drafting or reviewing their Operations Manual, defining their Emergency Response Plan, and setting up incident reporting workflows.

Our software ensures that these procedures aren’t just written, but actually used. Digital checklists, pilot sign-offs, SOP version control, and real-time reporting bring compliance to life.

2. Fleet and Equipment Oversight

Drones, batteries, and payloads must be treated as airworthy assets. We help teams implement maintenance programs, configure flight hour and cycle-based alerts, and create digital maintenance logs that are audit-ready.

The AirHub platform automates much of this. It tracks usage across your fleet, alerts you to required inspections or firmware updates, and logs every change made—ensuring full traceability.

3. Crew Management and Training

Whether you're operating VLOS patrols or BVLOS first-responder missions, personnel must be trained, qualified, and current. We support agencies in building structured training programs—including initial, type-specific, and recurrent training—and in aligning these with national certification schemes or SORA OSO requirements.

In the platform, each pilot has a personal profile linked to certifications, expiries, and aircraft types. You always know who’s qualified to fly what—and when retraining is due.

4. Mission Planning and Airspace Coordination

Planning drone operations in urban or controlled airspace requires a clear understanding of flight geography, contingency volumes, ground risk buffers, and airspace constraints. We help teams implement planning procedures that are compliant with SORA, national requirements, and future U-space integration.

Our Drone Operations Center (DOC) allows planners to visualise missions in real-world context—overlaying CTRs, NOTAMs, No-Fly Zones, and even population density maps. You can draw your flight volume, input risk buffers, and export visual materials for internal review or regulatory submission.

Moving from Reactive to Proactive

As agencies scale their use of drones, many begin to experience internal friction. Data silos emerge. SOPs are inconsistently followed. Equipment is underutilised or overworked. Training gaps appear. Regulatory renewals become stressful.

The transition to proactive, structured drone operations requires both the right tools and the right guidance.

That’s why we offer end-to-end support:

• Strategic consultancy to design the operational, legal, and technical foundation

• SORA support for authorisations and cross-border operations

• Platform deployment—on-premise, cloud, or hybrid—tailored to security and sovereignty needs

• Ongoing onboarding, training, and operational refinement
  
  

Ready to Scale?

At AirHub, we’re not just building software. We’re building systems that enable safe, scalable drone operations in public safety, security, and critical infrastructure. Whether you’re just getting started or managing a nationwide network, we can help you take the next step—with the structure, tools, and expertise to match.

If you're interested in a platform demo or want to explore how our consultancy can support your program, get in touch. We’d be happy to help.

​​Press Release | Lisbon, 15 May 2025

• Partnership will make UTM more accessible and user-friendly

• Cooperation will open the door for advanced drone applications in emergency response, infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring, and more

• Partnership combines AirHub’s advanced mission management platform with Frequentis’ UTM technology, for seamless data exchange and real-time situational Awareness

Frequentis and Dutch drone enterprise solutions innovator AirHub have announced a strategic partnership aimed at making Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) more accessible and user-friendly for drone operators across Europe and beyond. This collaboration focuses on simplifying UTM services, ensuring seamless and easy-to-use solutions for public safety, critical infrastructure, and commercial applications, including police and fire departments, many of which are already AirHub clients.

The partnership combines AirHub’s advanced mission management platform with Frequentis’ UTM technology, designed for seamless data exchange and real-time situational awareness. This integration empowers drone operators to efficiently plan, execute, and manage missions in compliance with regulatory requirements while benefiting from real-time geospatial data, digital flight approvals, and live telemetry monitoring—all from a single intuitive interface.

Driving European airspace modernisation

The collaboration aims to modernise airspace management by making UTM services more accessible to all drone operators. By utilising Frequentis' UTM capabilities, the platform enables secure, efficient information exchange between drone operators, air navigation service providers (ANSPs), and government agencies. This ensures seamless synchronisation of crewed and uncrewed air traffic, enhancing safety and reducing complexity in both urban and rural environments.

With Frequentis’ market-leading UTM solution, AirHub users will experience streamlined approval processes and real-time airspace authorisation, supporting complex drone missions with high reliability. This opens the door for advanced drone applications in emergency response, infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring, and more.

Unlocking new UTM capabilities

“By partnering with AirHub we will expand our UTM capabilities across Europe. This strategic collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to enable safe and efficient drone operations through secure, real-time communication channels. Integrating AirHub’s intuitive platform with our robust UTM infrastructure will set new standards for airspace safety, compliance, and scalability,” states Thomas Pilsl, Frequentis Vice President New Market Solutions.

The partnership also unlocks new UTM capabilities, including the ability for operators to seamlessly share flight reports and live telemetry with Frequentis' secure UTM network. Through this integration, mission-critical data is synchronised instantly, providing stakeholders with a complete overview of airspace activities. This supports coordinated drone flights in controlled and uncontrolled airspace, paving the way for scalable drone deployments.

“Our partnership with Frequentis marks a major milestone for AirHub. By integrating with Frequentis' world-class UTM platform, we are expanding our ability to offer real-time, compliant, and secure airspace management to our platform’s users. This collaboration not only enhances safety but also accelerates the adoption of drone technology across Europe and beyond,” says Thomas Brinkman, CEO of AirHub.

Leading the way to a digitally connected European sky

This strategic partnership underscores a shared vision of digitally connected skies, where crewed and uncrewed aircraft seamlessly operate in a harmonised airspace. Both Frequentis and AirHub are committed to supporting the Digital European Sky initiative, contributing to the safe and efficient integration of drones into Europe's airspace.

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About AirHub

AirHub is a Dutch-based drone software & consultancy company that knows unmanned aviation is as serious as manned aviation. It’s our goal to safely and efficiently integrate drones into our society by bringing the best drone solutions to companies through innovative software and services. By connecting drones to the enterprise through our software and consulting services we want to deliver on the full potential of drones.

Thomas Brinkman, Co-founder & CEO, AirHub, thomas@airhub.nl

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About FREQUENTIS

Frequentis stands for a safer world. Our solutions are used in our customers’ command and control centres to help them make the world safer.

Frequentis is a world leader in high-tech solutions for Air Traffic Management, supporting both civil and military air traffic control organisations, as well as Public Safety and Transport, where police, emergency rescue services, fire brigades, railways, coastguards, and port authorities rely on our extensive portfolio.

The listed family business based in Vienna, Austria, drives innovative and sustainable solutions for safety and security in everyday life and in the safety-critical sector. Its air traffic optimisation solutions for air traffic control centres are contributing to reducing emissions.

As a global player with more than 2,400 employees (full-time equivalents/FTE), Frequentis has a worldwide network of companies in over 50 countries. Its products, services, and solutions are used in around 150 countries. Shares in

Frequentis are traded on the Vienna and Frankfurt stock exchanges; ISIN: ATFREQUENT09, WKN: A2PHG5. In 2024, revenues were EUR 480.3 million and EBIT was EUR 32.1 million.

For more information, please visit www.frequentis.com.

Jennifer McLellan, Global Media Relations Manager, Frequentis AG,

jennifer.mclellan@frequentis.com, +44 2030 050 188

Barbara Fuerchtegott, Head of Communications/Company Spokesperson, Frequentis AG

barbara.fuerchtegott@frequentis.com, +43 1 81150-4631

PRESS RELEASE

Dubai, UAE – May 14, 2025 — At the World Police Summit 2025, AirHub, a leading provider of mission-critical drone software, and Advanced Media Trading, the Middle East’s leading provider of professional audiovisual and drone technologies, announced a strategic partnership to deliver enterprise drone solutions tailored to the needs of public safety agencies, security providers, and critical infrastructure managers across the region and beyond.

Through this collaboration, AirHub’s Drone Operations Platform will be made available to organizations seeking to streamline their drone operations, improve situational awareness, and maintain full control over their data. The platform is already trusted by major police forces, including Dubai Police, and offers a comprehensive suite of capabilities:

• Fleet Management – covering aircraft, batteries, maintenance schedules, and equipment lifecycle tracking.

• Live Operations – enabling real-time video streaming, multi-drone coordination, and seamless communication for enhanced operational awareness.

• Secure Data Mode – ensuring that sensitive flight data remains within the organization, fully aligned with the most stringent data protection requirements.

• Flexible Deployment Options – including secure on-premise installations and private cloud environments, such as the recent deployment at Dubai Police.

Advanced Media, with its extensive distribution network and regional market expertise, will support the integration and delivery of these solutions to law enforcement agencies, first responders, and infrastructure operators in the UAE and across the wider MENA region.

“With drone operations becoming a core capability for police forces and security organizations, it’s critical to have the right tools in place to manage complexity, ensure compliance, and act fast when it matters most. Together with Advanced Media, we’re proud to bring our technology to more teams on the frontline,” said Stephan van Vuren, CEO of AirHub.

“We’re excited to collaborate with AirHub to provide our clients with a truly enterprise-grade drone management solution,” added Pejman Ghorbani, Head of Creative Solutions at Advanced Media. “Our joint efforts will help accelerate the adoption of safe, scalable, and secure drone operations in the public safety sector.”

The partnership aims to scale deployments across the region in the coming year, offering turnkey solutions that combine AirHub’s advanced software platform with Advanced Media’s hardware integration, training, and support services.

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About AirHub
AirHub provides software solutions for mission-critical drone operations. Its Drone Operations Platform enables full oversight and coordination of enterprise drone programs, supporting public safety, critical infrastructure, and government users across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.

Learn more at www.airhub.app.

About Advanced Media
Advanced Media Trading LLC is the Middle East's largest supplier of professional video, photo, and broadcast equipment. As a trusted technology provider, Advanced Media supports government entities, production houses, and enterprise clients with cutting-edge drone, imaging, and audiovisual solutions.

Visit www.amt.tv for more information.