The FAA has announced that the application period for new LAANC providers will open on May 2, 2022.  Applicants must have a “mature product at the time of application,” says the announcement.

Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is a major stepping stone in drone integration, taking what was an onerous and time-consuming paper process and automating it.  The development of LAANC was a major benefit for the commercial industry.

“LAANC is a collaboration between the FAA and the drone industry that enables the safe integration of drones into the nation’s airspace. LAANC Service Suppliers help drone pilots obtain FAA airspace authorizations to operate in controlled airspace below 400 feet.

Since its launch in 2017, the system now covers 542 air traffic facilities serving approximately 735 airports. In February, the FAA issued its millionth airspace authorization through LAANC.”

Currently, there are only 8 publicly available LAANC providers: Airbus, AirMap (now owned by drone services company DroneUp), Airspace Link, Aloft, Avision,  Skyward, UASidekick, and Wing.

Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk) is developer of the free B4UFly App, offering LAANC capability and airspace intelligence: they currently enable more than 50% of all LAANC requests.

From the FAA Website, the application schedule for new LAANC providers is as follows:

• Application Period: May 2 – June 3, 2022

• FAA Submission Review: June 6 – July 8, 2022

• Technical Interviews: July 11 – August 12, 2022

• Formal Onboarding: August 18 – October 14, 2022

Read more about LAANC: