The Government of Odisha has announced plans to establish India’s National Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Test and Innovation Corridor at Rangeilunda Airport in partnership with BonV Aero. The announcement was made at Wings India 2026 and marks the first time an operational civilian airport in India will be repurposed as a live UAV testing and certification ecosystem. Officials described the initiative as designed to provide an operational environment for aircraft trials while retaining civil aviation safety standards.

The corridor will allow UAVs to be trialled in real, dynamic airspace rather than within laboratory or fenced test zones and will focus on low altitude operations up to 1,000 metres. This altitude band is increasingly seen as critical for applications in logistics, defence support, urban mobility, disaster response and aerial surveillance. The move is intended to broaden testing scenarios and to accelerate technological validation under authentic conditions.

The project is expected to house facilities for certification, maintenance and research and to support manufacturers, service providers and academic collaborators seeking operational data and regulatory feedback. By situating trials at an active airport, authorities aim to study integration protocols, traffic deconfliction and safety management in mixed airspace. Industry observers say such a corridor could shorten development cycles by enabling iterative testing that mirrors real world constraints. Stakeholder engagement is expected to inform safety protocols and operational standards.

Implementation will require infrastructure upgrades, coordination with aviation regulators and the establishment of procedures for controlled experimentation across civilian operations. The initiative may strengthen Odisha’s role in the national drone ecosystem and create opportunities for local skills development and enterprise linked to UAV operations. The operation is expected to require phased testing and documented safety reviews before full scale deployment. Further technical and commercial details were indicated to follow through official channels.