Deep tech drone manufacturing startup BonV Aero has released a comprehensive white paper positioning Odisha’s Rangeilunda Airstrip as India’s first commercial airport being developed as a live UAV testing and validation ecosystem. The paper includes a foreword by the Principal Secretary, Commerce & Transport Department, Government of Odisha, and frames low-altitude airspace (0–1,000 metres AGL) as productive national infrastructure similar to highways or telecommunications spectrum.

Unlike isolated campus facilities or project-specific waivers, Rangeilunda operates within live civilian airspace, allowing UAV platforms to be tested alongside operational aviation systems under public regulatory oversight. The white paper outlines a phased roadmap from Extended Visual Line of Sight (EVLOS) to corridor-based Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, aimed at generating auditable safety evidence to inform DGCA rulemaking, rather than bypassing it.

“For India to fully realise the low-altitude economy, drones must be tested not just for performance, but for how they integrate with real airspace, real institutions, and real public needs. Rangeilunda offers that rare opportunity where technology, governance, and operations can evolve together,” said Satyabrata Satapathy, Founder & CEO, BonV Aero.

By enabling drone systems to be tested under real operational conditions, the Rangeilunda ecosystem is expected to generate public benefits beyond the UAV industry. These include the development of a specialised technical workforce, the emergence of MSME supply chains in electronics, composites, and software, and improved state capabilities in disaster response, infrastructure monitoring, and medical logistics.

As the facility operates within live civilian airspace under regulatory oversight, each validated operation generates safety data, procedures, and standards that support regulators in scaling drone operations responsibly—effectively transforming low-altitude airspace into a productive national infrastructure layer.

“This white paper reflects how the low-altitude economy can move from policy intent to operational reality. By using an existing public aviation asset like Rangeilunda, Odisha is demonstrating how drone ecosystems can be governed, tested, and scaled responsibly within civilian airspace,” said Baibhav Patel, Head, Government Affairs, BonV Aero.

Aligned with FAA, EASA, ICAO, and UK CAA frameworks (2024–25), the white paper is intended to inform national rulemaking and serve as a replicable state-led model under DGCA oversight.