NUAIR Receives FAA Letter of Acceptance for Surveillance-as-a-Service, Opening a New Era in Drone Infrastructure

The Future of Low-Altitude Flight Infrastructure is Now Operational in Central New York

SYRACUSE, N.Y., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Even before the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) industry took off, there has been the challenge of safely managing low altitude airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) radar coverage controls critical airspace around towered airports, but that system does not cover the majority of remaining airspace. The Near-Term Approval Process (NTAP) is “a process by which FAA evaluates the safety mitigation value of a service, so that operators can receive safety credit for using that service when seeking waivers or exemptions.” In plain language – the FAA accepts third party ground-based surveillance infrastructure to meet the standards and expectations needed for safe flight in the U.S. National Airspace.

This week, NUAIR completed the Near-Term Approval Process, and its Surveillance-as-a-Service infrastructure is now open to serve as a foundation for integrated, prioritized, and deconflicted UAS operations.

Following Executive Orders from the White House on Unleashing American Drone Dominance and Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty, this Letter of Acceptance (LOA) unlocks the opportunity for low altitude airspace to be accessible and safe for multiple users. Similar to when road construction creates the opportunity for new forms of transportation and a new set of rules and structure, the development of regulation and rules for air traffic management outside of airports opens the opportunity for new methods of mobility, delivery, and operations.

The United States now has nearly two thousand square miles covering over 350,000 households that have been proven safe for low altitude beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) airspace operations. “This marks a foundational milestone in solving a challenge the industry has been working toward for over a decade,” said Ken Stewart, President & CEO of NUAIR. “This Letter of Acceptance represents a significant milestone, with the FAA formally recognizing NUAIR's advanced surveillance network as an approved safety solution for routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. Through this agreement, the FAA validates NUAIR's critical role in delivering the digital infrastructure and operational support essential for safe, scalable unmanned aircraft systems deployment, while streamlining the path forward for commercial drone enterprises.”

“NUAIR has been transformative in New York’s efforts to grow our foothold in the uncrewed aircraft systems industry,” said Hope Knight, President, CEO, and Commissioner of Empire State Development. “This latest approval is a significant moment for New York, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with NUAIR as together, we can foster more opportunities, helping to advance the commercialization of the Advanced Mobility industry statewide.”

FOR STATES, this is a critical step forward in safe and integrated airspace. With a comprehensive picture of your airspace, state agents, power companies, first responders, inspectors, cities, townships, and more have awareness of this lower level of airspace. First responders can deploy a drone to quickly get a visual on the scene of an emergency in advance of team arrival. Routine deliveries for medical and pharmaceutical supplies can be completed via UAS with an assured and deconflicted route – freeing up medical staff for vital work. Dams, reservoirs, power stations, highways, and other critical infrastructure can be monitored for maintenance with increased accuracy. And through it all, the public can have confidence in the authority and transparency of the airspace – they can rest assured that anything happening over their heads is seen, authorized, compliant, and safe.

FOR INDUSTRY, this represents an opportunity never before available in the United States. Central New York is home to over 760,000 people, 350,000 households, over 30 municipalities, 4 counties, a multitude of first responder departments, multiple hospitals and medical centers, thousands of businesses, and a plethora of commercial opportunities. Since the approval of NUAIR’s BVLOS waiver, and with the expansion of our approved airspace, NUAIR has flown BVLOS on a daily basis and has completed more than 6,000 flights in controlled airspace in order to prove out the safety case of our infrastructure. With this key LOA from the FAA, any commercial organization interested in using UAS need only use NUAIR’s infrastructure to access the pre-approved safety case.

“As a longtime partner, CenterState CEO has seen the investment and impact that NUAIR continues to bring not only to this state, but the industry as a whole,” shared Rob Simpson, President of CenterState CEO. “It is fantastic to see their hard work pay off with this significant approval from the FAA.”

“NUAIR gaining this LOA is a huge win for the Central New York region,” said Kara Jones, Director of GENIUS NY. “We truly have it all here in Syracuse – from industry entrants beginning with the world’s largest UAS and robotics startup accelerator all the way to true commercial operations. We’re thrilled to be a part of the growth happening here.”

Built for growth and resilience, NUAIR’s infrastructure and platforms deliver a foundation that scales and adapts. Easily replicated and rapidly deployed, they bring advanced capabilities to a wide range of settings and missions. “This LOA isn’t just a local win,” shared Stewart, “It is a global blueprint for the future of flight.”

To organizations ready to lead in low altitude UAS operations, the infrastructure is here – proven, accepted, and operational. NUAIR is excited to help more communities build public trust and unlock the full potential of the next generation of aviation.

About NUAIR

NUAIR is a nonprofit driving economic development through innovations in UAS and Advanced Air Mobility to safely integrate into the national airspace. With support from Empire State Development and the State of New York, NUAIR is empowering and enabling the next generation of aviation.

With a rich history performing UAS testing and validation, investing in local and state economic development, and training public safety elite, the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc. (NUAIR) is proud to be the catalyst to not only New York’s airspace innovation, but mobility advancement around the globe.

NUAIR. Where Next Takes Flight.

Media Inquiries | marketing@NUAIR.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/685ed9fa-9f54-4726-b864-f6c666005f06

NUAIR FAA-Accepted Infrastructure

NUAIR's Center of Excellence in Syracuse, NY

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