Canadian aerospace company Volatus Aerospace has received a Letter of Acceptance from Transport Canada under its new Pre-Validated Declaration process for the Canary Remotely Piloted Aircraft System.
The acceptance positions the Canary as one of the few platforms, and reportedly the only system to date, to meet all Transport Canada safety requirements for Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) operations in populated areas using onboard detect-and-avoid (DAA) capabilities without reliance on an external DAA solution. By unifying advanced aircraft design, onboard DAA, autonomous flight technologies, command and control systems, operational procedures, and supporting safety architecture into a single platform, the system is designed to support increasingly complex commercial missions.
Glen Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Volatus, commented, “This achievement represents years of investment in engineering, manufacturing, operational experience and regulatory engagement. As autonomous aviation moves from demonstration projects to commercial deployment, customers and governments are looking for trusted partners that can deliver complete, regulatory-ready systems, not simply advanced aircraft. We believe this milestone validates both our technology and the integrated capabilities that differentiate Volatus as the market continues to mature.”
The Letter of Acceptance reflects Transport Canada’s acceptance of the proposed means of compliance for the integrated platform. This step serves as a prerequisite to completing verification activities and submitting a formal Safety Assurance Declaration under Canada’s new RPAS Safety Assurance framework.
The regulatory approval supports the company’s broader strategy of offering an integrated autonomous aviation ecosystem that combines aircraft manufacturing, proprietary autonomy software, commercial operations, mission integration, training, and regulatory expertise. As commercial BVLOS operations expand domestically and internationally, Volatus aims to utilize this technical and regulatory milestone to expand its reach across infrastructure, defence, public safety, energy, and industrial markets.
