Santa Cruz de Tenerife 13 Feb. (Europa Press) –
The Cabildo de la Gomera has marked Thursday the establishment of the first drone construction enterprise on the island, Marine Instruments, originating from Galicia. This company is now commencing pilot tests with its solar-powered drones, taking advantage of the island’s favourable climatic conditions, characterised by extensive sunlight and minimal wind disruption in the southern region.
The creation of this operations hub will include a space for administrative management alongside its dedicated work team. Testing has initiated with the M5D-Airfox model, a solar drone tailored for maritime surveillance, disaster management, and fire prevention applications.
Operations are being conducted from the port of Valle Gran Rey, in partnership with Proexca and Canarian ports, as announced by the Gomero Cabildo in a press release on Thursday.
The selection of Gomera as the operational base is attributed to its distinctive geographical and environmental traits, which render it an “ideal” site for trialing cutting-edge technologies.
Consequently, the island presents an underutilised airspace and a varied geography that encourages the deployment of innovative initiatives in the drone sector.
The president of the Cabildo, Casimiro Curbel, stated the purpose is “to generate employment opportunities.”
Insular Actions emphasise that since 2022, the Gomero Cabildo has been advancing a strategy to foster the aeronautical and aerospace sector through specialised conferences and strategic partnerships with entities and businesses within the industry.
Additionally, in 2024, a contract was established with the Airborne Wind Europe Association to develop a Centre of Excellence for the European AWES industry, focusing on electric power generation using drones. Since early last year, pilot projects are being conducted in hunting zones employing this technology, as noted by the council.
Furthermore, prior to the conclusion of the first half of 2025, plans are underway to initiate pilot tests for the transfer of medical analyses from healthcare centres to the island’s hospital using drones, thereby reinforcing the gomera’s dedication to incorporating this technology into the delivery of vital services.
