Skyports
Skyports is a British drone-services company that operates unmanned aircraft for delivery, surveying, monitoring and related logistics applications.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Skyports is a British unmanned-aircraft services company founded in 2018 by Duncan Walker and Simon Morrish. The company operates under the Skyports Drone Services name and focuses on using drones, including beyond-visual-line-of-sight systems, for commercial logistics, medical transport, surveying and monitoring. It is headquartered in London and has developed an international presence through offices or operations associated with Singapore, Dubai, Colombia and Japan. The company became particularly visible in the United Kingdom through its work in Scotland. In 2020, Skyports Drone Services was authorised to transport COVID-19 test kits and samples between islands and mainland medical facilities in Argyll and Bute. Flights connected Mull, Clachan-Seil and Lochgilphead with Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban. The program was supported jointly by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency and was described as a UK first for the use of drones in this type of medical-supply operation. Skyports also received UK Government funding to establish a service and training facility at Oban Airport, which is owned by Argyll and Bute Council. Skyports' business model is based less on selling consumer drones than on delivering managed aviation and logistics services. Its work can include aircraft operation, route planning, regulatory compliance, remote or autonomous-flight support, payload handling and the creation of operational hubs. The company has worked on cargo and postal delivery, medical logistics, infrastructure inspection, surveying and environmental or other monitoring assignments. Its operations depend on national aviation approvals, including permissions for flights beyond the direct visual range of the operator. The company has also pursued public-sector and strategic partnerships. Royal Mail partnered with Skyports on drone-enabled postal delivery in Scotland, including the Orkney I-Port operation. That project established a daily inter-island mail-distribution service between three Orkney islands with the involvement of Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair. Skyports later identified Speedbird Aero as an aircraft partner for the operation, with the Brazilian manufacturer supplying DLV-2 aircraft for the initial service period and potentially broader logistics work. Skyports has obtained aviation permissions in several jurisdictions. The Irish Aviation Authority issued it a Light UAS Operator Certificate, recognised across the EASA member states. In the United States, the company received a Part 107 waiver permitting beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations and a Part 375 Foreign Aircraft Permit. In Singapore, it received a Class 1 Activity Permit and a UA Operator Permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for beyond-visual-line-of-sight unmanned-aircraft operations. In 2023, Skyports announced a Hub Operator Program involving participants in Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kenya and South Korea. The program reflected the company's effort to build a distributed operating and infrastructure network rather than limit its services to a single national market. Skyports remains an active specialist brand in the emerging commercial-drone sector, with its public profile shaped chiefly by regulated, real-world delivery and logistics deployments.
History
Skyports was founded in 2018 by Duncan Walker and Simon Morrish as a commercial unmanned-aircraft company. From its London base, it developed an operating model centred on managed drone services for organisations that need transport, inspection, surveying or monitoring capabilities. This positioned the company within the enterprise and infrastructure side of the drone industry rather than the consumer-hardware market. A major early development was the company's work in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Skyports Drone Services received authorisation from the Scottish government to transport COVID-19 kits and samples between remote communities in Argyll and Bute and Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban. The routes included connections involving Mull, Clachan-Seil and Lochgilphead. The service was jointly funded by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency and was presented as a first-of-its-kind UK use of drones for this medical logistics purpose. The company also received UK Government funding to establish a service and training facility at Oban Airport, an Argyll and Bute Council-owned site. Skyports subsequently expanded its work in postal and cargo logistics. Its partnership with Royal Mail led to the Orkney I-Port project, developed with Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair. The operation was designed to distribute mail daily between three islands, using drones to address the practical and geographic challenges of inter-island transport. The project was notable because it was described as the first UK drone-delivery operation capable of being conducted permanently under the regulatory framework then in place. Speedbird Aero later became an aircraft partner, supplying DLV-2 aircraft for the initial operating period. Regulatory capability has been central to Skyports' development. The Irish Aviation Authority issued the company a Light UAS Operator Certificate, with recognition across the EASA member countries. In the United States, Skyports obtained a Part 107 waiver for beyond-visual-line-of-sight unmanned-aircraft operations and a Part 375 Foreign Aircraft Permit. In Singapore, it secured a Class 1 Activity Permit and a UA Operator Permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. These approvals enabled the company to pursue work across different aviation systems while maintaining a focus on regulated commercial operations. The company's geographical footprint broadened beyond the United Kingdom. In addition to its London headquarters, Skyports has been associated with offices or operations in Singapore, Dubai, Colombia and Japan, and reference material identifies activity in Ireland, the United States and other international markets. In 2023, Skyports announced a Hub Operator Program involving Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kenya and South Korea. The initiative indicated a strategy of building local operating capacity and infrastructure partnerships in multiple markets. Skyports' history is therefore defined by a progression from company formation and drone-service development to regulated medical logistics, postal delivery, international certification and network expansion. Its most visible projects have demonstrated practical use cases for drones in remote or difficult-to-serve locations, while its certifications and partnerships have supported the broader commercialisation of unmanned-aircraft operations.
- 2023
Hub Operator Program announced
[1]Skyports announced a hub-operator initiative covering Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kenya and South Korea.
- 2020
COVID-19 medical logistics flights authorised in Scotland
[1]Skyports was authorised to transport COVID-19 kits and samples between communities in Argyll and Bute and the hospital in Oban.
- 2020
Oban Airport service and training facility supported by government funding
[1]The company received UK Government funding for a drone-service and training facility at Oban Airport.
- 2018
Skyports founded
[1]Duncan Walker and Simon Morrish founded Skyports, which developed into a commercial drone-services operator.
Products and positioning
A regulated, enterprise-focused drone-services operator providing managed unmanned-aircraft logistics, delivery, surveying and monitoring rather than a consumer-drone product brand.
Commercial drone operations · 2018
Skyports Drone Services
Skyports' core operating service provides managed unmanned-aircraft missions for cargo delivery, medical logistics, surveying and monitoring. The offering can encompass flight planning, regulatory approvals, aircraft operations, payload handling, route management and operational support. It is designed for enterprise, public-sector and infrastructure customers that require a complete drone operation rather than a standalone aircraft.
Healthcare delivery · 2020
Medical drone logistics
This service uses drones to move medical kits and samples between remote communities and healthcare facilities. Its best-known deployment connected locations in Argyll and Bute with Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping demonstrate the use of unmanned aircraft for time-sensitive healthcare logistics.
Postal and inter-island delivery
Orkney I-Port
Orkney I-Port is a drone-enabled postal distribution operation developed with Royal Mail, Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair. It provides daily mail movement between three Orkney islands and was designed as a repeatable service capable of operating under existing UK regulatory arrangements.
Drone infrastructure and network operations · 2023
Hub Operator Program
The Hub Operator Program is intended to support local participants that operate or help establish drone-service hubs. Announced in 2023, it covered participants in Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kenya and South Korea, reflecting Skyports' effort to build a distributed international logistics network.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020COVID-19 medical supply delivery in Argyll and Bute
United Kingdom
Skyports operated authorised drone flights carrying COVID-19 test kits and samples between remote Scottish communities and Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban, with support from the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency.
Outcome. The deployment was described as a UK first for this kind of drone-based medical transport and helped establish Skyports' profile in public-sector and healthcare logistics.
- Royal Mail Orkney I-Port
United Kingdom
Skyports and Royal Mail created a daily inter-island drone mail-distribution service in Orkney with local authority and airline partners.
Outcome. The project was presented as the first UK drone-delivery service capable of permanent operation under existing regulations.
Brand decisions
2023
Expand through the Hub Operator ProgramStrategyBackground
Skyports sought to extend its drone-services infrastructure beyond directly operated projects and into multiple international markets.
Action taken
The company announced a Hub Operator Program involving Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Kenya and South Korea.
Aftermath
The announcement demonstrated a network-building approach to international expansion, although no financial results were provided in the reference material.
- Establish an inter-island drone postal operation in OrkneyProduct launch
Background
Remote island geography created a use case for drone delivery within the Royal Mail network.
Action taken
Skyports partnered with Royal Mail, Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority and Loganair to operate daily mail distribution between three islands.
Aftermath
The project was described as capable of permanent operation under existing UK regulatory frameworks. Speedbird Aero was subsequently selected as an aircraft partner.
Recent events
Volocopter and partners sign agreements to explore Singapore air-mobility hub[2]
Reported:
Volocopter and Skyports signed two memoranda of understanding with Singapore's JTC and Economic Development Board to explore establishing an advanced air mobility hub at Seletar Aerospace Park. The study will assess the feasibility of facilities and resources for eVTOL manufacturing and maintenance activities.
LAZ Parking and Skyports partner on Los Angeles vertiports[3]
Reported:
LAZ Parking and Skyports announced a partnership to develop vertiports at LAZ facilities in Los Angeles for electric air taxi operations.
Skyports raises £5.35 million in Series A funding[4]
Reported:
UK startup Skyports raised £5.35 million ($7 million) in a Series A funding round to continue acquiring sites for passenger and cargo vertiports around the world.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/skyports · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled