AirData UAV Marks Growth Milestone in Energy and Utilities as Sector Enters New Phase of Drone Adoption
AirData UAV, the drone fleet management platform behind serious drone programs worldwide, today announced it will exhibit and participate in a panel discussion at the 10th Annual Energy Drone & Robotics Summit (EDR Summit), taking place June 22–24, 2026 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott in Houston, Texas.
The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for the energy drone industry. The inspection drone market reached $11.64 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $25.82 billion by 2030, with the energy and power segment expected to account for the largest share of the utility drone market in 2026. Energy and utility operators are scaling drone programs across transmission lines, pipelines, emissions monitoring sites, and critical infrastructure, and the operational and documentation demands of those programs are growing in step.
120+
Energy & utility organizations served
63M+
Flights logged on the platform
457,000
Active pilots across 232 countries & territories
AirData has supported that growth firsthand. The platform is now used by more than 120 energy and utility organizations worldwide, spanning electric utilities, oil and gas operators, and utility service providers. With 63 million flights logged and 457,000 active pilots across 232 countries and territories, AirData has become the operational backbone for programs running inspections, surveys, and emergency response across critical infrastructure at scale.
"The energy sector has been one of the most operationally complex verticals we serve. These programs operate under strict regulatory requirements, manage complex multi-site fleets, and need documentation that holds up to scrutiny. What we've built at AirData is a platform designed for exactly that level of detail. As BVLOS operations become more standardized and programs continue to scale, AirData is engineered to scale with them — even the most complex, multi-site deployments in the industry."
— Eran Steiner, CEO and Founder, AirData UAV
A Pivotal Moment for Regulation
The timing also aligns with significant regulatory change on the horizon. The FAA's proposed Part 108 rule, released as an NPRM in August 2025, represents the most significant development in commercial drone regulation since Part 107 was introduced in 2016. Part 108 is designed to replace the current individual waiver system with a standardized, scalable framework for BVLOS operations — a shift that will directly impact how energy operators document, manage, and report on their drone programs. AirData's platform is built around the compliance and documentation workflows that operators will need to meet the demands of this new regulatory environment.
Panel: The Data Driven Drone Program
AirData will bring that perspective to the Summit stage. On Wednesday, June 24 at 10:15 AM, the company will host a panel titled "The Data Driven Drone Program: Compliant, Audit-Ready, and Built to Scale," exploring how leading energy and industrial operators use verifiable flight data to meet regulatory requirements, conform to IS-BAO and FAA Part 5 safety standards, and scale confidently into BVLOS and other complex missions.
PANEL SPEAKERS
Dustin Schocken — Regulatory & Compliance, AirData UAV
Josh Hill — UAS Operations Supervisor, Aviation Services, PG&E
Richard Turner — Specialty Services Manager, CAN-USA
"AirData has helped us manage our drone operations with the structure and oversight expected in a professional aviation environment. The platform gives our team precise insight into aircraft performance, battery health, maintenance status, and pilot activity, while tools like the 3D Player provide the unmanned equivalent of a 'black box' flight recorder that adds critical operational transparency and credibility for offshore oil and gas operations."
— Richard Turner, Specialty Services Manager, CAN-USA
Visit AirData at Booth 709
AirData will be exhibiting at Booth 709 throughout the EDR Summit. Attendees interested in scheduling a meeting or learning more about AirData's energy and utility solutions are encouraged to stop by or connect with the team directly.