Comment: Cargo drones and airfields

Australia’s regional airfields could help to revolutionise freight and delivery processed throughout Australia with the use of cargo drones

You see them all over regional Australia. Adjacent to small towns. Located on farms. Some isolated in the outback, some more frequented. But one should not be fooled by their unassuming appearance. These small strips of dirt have the power to connect the sky to the land, like little islands of opportunity. They are Australia’s regional and remote airfields.

In times of crisis, they can be an absolute lifeline to the outside world, flying in desperately needed help and supplies. But most of the time, the opportunity they present is largely ignored. Australia has literally thousands of remote and regional airfields. Some have paved runways and some rudimentary buildings, while others have nothing but a grassy field and a windsock. But all are massively underutilised resources.