Korea’s largest drone exhibition, ’23 Drone Show Korea’, was held at BEXCO in Busan from the 25rd to the 2023th of last month. Drone Show Korea, which celebrated its 7th anniversary this year, has 17,600 companies with 172 booths in an area of 625㎡, and Pablo Aviation (CEO Kim Young-jun), a company specializing in drone solutions and services, is also attracting visitors at the exhibition site this year as it did last year. It attracted attention.
Pablo Airlines formed the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) consortium ‘UAM FUTURE TEAM’ with LG U+, GS E&C, and Kakao Mobility in May last year. Accordingly, at this year’s Drone Show Korea, the UAM Future Team joint pavilion was established and a booth with a total size of 5㎡, the largest in the exhibition, was prepared.
The UAM Future Team presented a vision to secure the next-generation urban transportation leadership to dominate the Korean UAM market under the theme of a ‘complete UAM’ equipped with a mobility platform, airframe, and infrastructure. Among them, Pablo Airlines is developing a smart mobility integrated control system ( The UAM integrated flight control system, which will be built based on PABLO AIR Mobility Network (PAMNet) development know-how, was introduced.
Regarding this, Jeong Deok-woo, Business Director (CBO) of Pablo Airlines, said, “We expect that we will be able to realize the future of hyper-connected mobility where anyone can use the skyway regardless of time and place together with the UAM Future Team.” He added, “UAM operations and “We will take the lead in providing user services similar to the vision presented in this exhibition by upgrading the technology required for control,” he said.
Afterwards, CBO Jeong continued to give flawless answers to questions related to the company’s vision and plans. Through CBO Jeong Deok-woo’s explanation, the blueprint for ‘K-UAM’, which is the core infrastructure of future cities and has been imagined for a long time, was made concrete.
Q1. Before asking more detailed questions, please introduce Pablo Airlines.
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: To briefly explain, Pablo Aviation is a company that is participating in the drone delivery and UAM business based on swarm flight technology and control solutions.
Q2. I understand that continuous verification has been carried out over the past year to build a delivery/delivery platform using drones. What achievements have you achieved in the process?
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: To describe a specific city, in the case of Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, the drone delivery business started on July 7 last year and has reached the level of providing practical commercial services, and Pablo Air is the only company that provides such continuous service. I know that.
Based on the directly managed logistics and delivery center in Gapyeong, it achieved more than 600 flights, proving the feasibility of commercialization. In addition, by participating in demonstration projects and regulatory sandboxes related to drone delivery, the company succeeded in making 207 flights and delivering to urban areas, focusing on Songdo-Cheongna in Incheon. We believe that our company’s achievement and strength is that we have secured a variety of data through this experience.
Q3. It is widely known as a domestic startup with unique technological capabilities in drone surveillance and control technology. Are there any plans to expand into other business areas based on this?
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: Pablo Airlines has been conducting business in three fields, starting with the drone art show, the drone delivery service described above, and the UAM integrated control platform. In the case of the drone art show, which is the first business field among these, the business has been expanded by developing it into a ‘multimedia show’ that combines various effects such as fireworks, lasers, and sound in addition to LED lighting.
In the field of logistics delivery, we are preparing to expand our service area to the entire Gapyeong-gun based on our center in Gapyeong, and to provide services to almost all local governments across the country through the drone demonstration city project that will be supported this year.
In the UAM field, we have completed the development of a traffic control platform in cooperation with LG U+, and we plan to begin developing the Vertiport operating system with GS E&C as early as March or April.
Furthermore, Pablo Airlines not only has a branch in the United States, but is also preparing to enter and expand into Southeast Asia. Although we are currently conducting business primarily domestically, we have service capabilities and potential to expand globally.
Q4. Recently, the drone industry has been introducing many technologies to intelligentize and simplify safety inspection of buildings and facilities by combining sensing and AI algorithm technologies. Is Pablo Airlines, which is very interested in building smart cities, researching and developing related technologies?
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: What you mentioned is the hottest item in all robotics fields, including drones, and Pablo Air’s swarm flight technology is also in line with this. The goal is to allow multiple drones to fly simultaneously or perform different missions while determining each other’s location, and continuous efforts are being made to improve this.
In addition, in relation to smart cities, intensive research and development is underway on delivery stations and UAM vertiports with structural designs so that each aircraft can fly safely.
Q5. UAM is a field that still leaves many challenges to be solved. Is there a roadmap that Pablo Airlines is planning?
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: Since UAM is a means of transportation in the sky, it must have an operating system that complies with aviation law. At the same time, strict and numerous licenses must be passed, and securing the infrastructure and technological capabilities that form the basis is also essential.
However, since the laws and regulations have not been fully established to date, we decided to participate in the K-UAM Grand Challenge project hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to share our thoughts on this.
In this project, Pablo Aviation develops and supplies a control and monitoring system, and is also conducting joint development with companies cooperating as a consortium. In this way, I believe that the UAM field is difficult to complete with the performance of just one entity. There is a need for a detailed distribution of roles into flight operators, traffic management operators, and vertiport operators, and our company is responsible for providing solutions so that they can run their businesses smoothly.
The first phase of the Grand Challenge project will be completed in 2024, and the goal is to proceed sequentially with the second phase of the project and further commercialization.
Q6. I understand that they are currently in the process of signing partnerships with many companies. Is there anything additional in progress?
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: UAM business requires a lot of investment, especially startups like Pablo Airlines cannot sustain business with their own investment. Therefore, the company plans to generate profits by attracting supply contracts through LG U+, with which it co-developed the traffic control system, or by taking charge of the development of operational solutions to Vertiport, which is being developed by GS Engineering & Construction.
After collaborating with them, we plan to utilize our capabilities and expertise to develop a dedicated solution needed by flight operators, and are also preparing to build a system that integrates a total of three solutions into one to help provide stable UAM operations and services.
Q7. You are carrying out various activities overseas. How do you evaluate the possibility of Pablo Airlines going global? Do you have any plans to expand beyond the US?
A. Business Director Jeong Deok-woo: Domestic aviation laws are also highly complete, but the U.S. and European aviation laws are generally evaluated to be about 1 to 2 years ahead of Korea.
The reason why Pablo Airlines established a branch in the United States is also related to this. For example, in the case of Griffith Airport in the United States, regulations have been relaxed to allow free flight in the surrounding airspace, so the company can verify and test its newly developed aircraft or logistics delivery system here. In addition, based on the results, it is possible to estimate how safe operation is possible within the boundaries of aviation law.
Under this much freer environment, Pablo Airlines has served as a so-called test bed in the United States, proving its capabilities in many areas, including aircraft development and operation, control systems, and flight experience and data. As a result, the company is expected to provide the most stable service in the future.
Outside of the United States, logistics delivery services are planned targeting Mongolia and Southeast Asia. It can be said to be an optimal environment for testing and developing our solutions due to the local environment, where people live in complex downtowns and are separated from island to island.
Meanwhile, the exhibition items of the 2023 Drone Show Korea, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of National Defense, and Busan Metropolitan City, and organized by BEXCO and the Korea Unmanned Aerial System Association are as follows. △Manufacturing (drone, military, UAM/AAM, surveying, mapping, firefighting, station, unmanned robot, leisure, broadcasting) △Utilizing industry (photography, control, spatial information, logistics, disaster management, security, reconnaissance, construction, deep sea exploration) Etc.) △Parts and technology (communication, ground control, autonomous flight, system and S/W technology, fuel cell sensor, motor, battery, etc.) △Service (education, finance, rental, insurance, investment consulting, etc.) △ Institutions (related institutions, associations/organizations, universities)