Agreement signed at Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon marks a tangible step forward in Canada’s RPAS Traffic Management transformation.
NAV CANADA announced the selection of Indra Group as its technology partner to deliver the RPAS Flight Information Management System (rFIMS), the centralized digital platform at the core of Canada’s evolving framework for the safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) into Canadian airspace.
The agreement was formalized today at Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon, where NAV CANADA leadership joined Indra Group counterparts for a signing ceremony on the margins of the global air traffic management industry’s leading annual gathering. In attendance from NAV CANADA were Mark Cooper, President and Chief Executive Officer; David Sheppard, Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Officer, and Alan Chapman, Director of RPAS Traffic Management.
The announcement is a concrete step forward on the joint vision NAV CANADA and Transport Canada set out in their 2023 RPAS Traffic Management (RTM) Concept of Operations, which laid out a 2030 collaborative ecosystem of NAV CANADA, RTM Service Providers (RSPs), Transport Canada, and industry partners working together to enable safe and sustainable growth in Canadian RPAS operations.
A foundational platform for Canada’s drone future
rFIMS will deliver the centralized digital services and key interfaces between NAV CANADA and a growing ecosystem of RSPs that will provide services directly to drone operators and pilots. It will be deployed in phases, with initial capabilities targeted to go live in 2029, beginning with foundational flight management, monitoring and connectivity services, and progressing toward enhanced operational intelligence and tactical conflict management.
“NAV CANADA’s mandate is to keep Canadian skies safe and our airspace ready for the next generation of users. Today’s agreement with Indra Group is a foundational step in delivering on that responsibility — putting in place the digital infrastructure to safely and efficiently integrate drones into Canadian airspace, and ensuring Canada continues to lead globally in air navigation services.” said Mark Cooper, President and Chief Executive Officer at NAV CANADA.
“A recent NAV CANADA study forecasts exponential growth in Canada’s drone sector — a significant economic opportunity that can only be realized with the right digital infrastructure in place. Today’s agreement with Indra Group demonstrates our commitment to enabling that growth and to safely integrating drones into Canadian airspace,” said David Sheppard, Vice President and Chief Technology and Information Officer at NAV CANADA.
Victor Martínez, Executive Vice President of ATM at Indra Group, highlighted: “This new agreement will consolidate our close collaboration with NAV CANADA and project it towards one of the major challenges facing the future of aviation, namely the safe and efficient integration of drones into the airspace. We’re proud to be accompanying NAV CANADA to build an ecosystem in which manned and unmanned aircraft can operate in a coordinated manner, contributing to transforming air traffic management in Canada and, at the same time, enhancing our standing as a leading technological partner in North America”.
Signalling a path forward for prospective RTM Service Providers
A key outcome of the partnership is greater visibility for the broader Canadian RPAS industry — and prospective RSPs in particular — on how and when they will be engaged as rFIMS comes online. NAV CANADA’s architecture has been designed from the outset to be open and to enable third-party RSPs to offer differentiated services to operators across Canada, whether in defined geographic areas or at a national level. Over the coming months, NAV CANADA will work with Transport Canada, prospective RSPs and other industry stakeholders to further develop the framework within which RSPs will operate, including the safety and quality standards required for participation.
“Canadian RPAS operators and prospective service providers have been waiting for clarity on what comes next,” said Alan Chapman, Director of RPAS Traffic Management at NAV CANADA. “Today’s announcement is the start of a more concrete engagement with that community, with initial rFIMS capabilities targeted to go live in 2029. We look forward to working with industry as we build out the full RTM ecosystem in the years ahead.”
Canadian leadership at the table
NAV CANADA’s presence at Airspace World 2026 extends well beyond today’s signing. Senior leaders are contributing across the three days of the conference, joining international panels on civil-military collaboration and airspace resilience in a shifting geopolitical era, the future of ATM and the talent needed to deliver it, and moving Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) from concept to implementation.
NAV CANADA is recognized globally as one of the leading air navigation service providers in enabling safe drone integration, drawing on five years of operational experience with NAV Drone, sustained gains in automation and situational awareness, and a robust safety management framework. Today’s partnership with Indra Group builds on this leadership and extends Canada’s contribution to the evolving global drone traffic management landscape.
