According to the new analysis of the German drone market by the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) and the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI), around 474,000 drones are currently in flight in Germany. Taking a look at the few industrial users, it quickly becomes apparent that this group often uses drones for multiple purposes: 79% employ drones for measurement, 53% for inspection. Other frequent uses include filming and photography, cartography and monitoring, as well as data collection. The two associations predict the number of drones in commercial use to rise to 126,000 by 2030.

Companies that prefer not to acquire their own drones can also now enlist one of many service providers. Kopterflug or Heljo Industrie s are two such providers, for example, that primarily specialize in inspection and maintenance support.