Dave Lee, Columnist

A Drone Superhighway Gets the UK Where It Needs to Go

A project to reimagine the skies could make the UK a world leader in drone adoption. But only if the public comes around.

May 11, 2023 at 4:00 AM UTC

By Dave Lee

Dave Lee is Bloomberg Opinion's US technology columnist. He was previously a correspondent for the Financial Times and BBC News.

Drone possibilities.
Photographer: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe

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In the UK, testing is due to begin this summer on a most remarkable project: a superhighway in the sky for drones.

Spanning some 165 miles, and extending more than six miles wide and potentially hundreds of feet tall, it could be a Jetsons-esque marvel, turning the UK into a world leader in drone adoption. Backers are confident they have the technology needed. What stands in their way are unanswered policy questions — and the willingness of the public to embrace the future.