AirData UAV hits 120 energy customers, 63M flights

What happened

AirData UAV announced it now serves more than 120 energy and utility organizations worldwide, including electric utilities, oil and gas operators, and utility service providers. The platform has logged more than 63 million flights and 457,000 active pilots across 232 countries and territories. The company recently joined the Commercial Drone Alliance as the FAA prepares its Part 108 rule for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations.

Why it matters

The inspection drone market reached $11.64 billion（約1.9兆円） in 2025 and is projected to grow to $25.82 billion（約4.1兆円） by 2030, with energy and power expected to account for the largest share of the utility drone market in 2026. Operators are expanding programs across transmission lines, pipelines, and emissions monitoring sites, creating growing demands for compliance documentation and fleet management—the exact workflows AirData's platform is built to handle as BVLOS operations become standardized.

What to watch

The FAA's Part 108 rule, released as a proposal in August 2025, will replace the current individual waiver system with a standardized framework for BVLOS operations. AirData's platform includes automated flight records, fleet readiness tracking, and a 3D Flight Player tool (flight replay and analysis) designed to meet the compliance and documentation requirements operators will face under the new framework.