Media Release by Lower Eyre Council

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June 3rd, 2025: Lower Eyre Council and its security service provider, MSS Security have announced Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approval for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations that are taking place at Port Lincoln Airport in an Australian first.

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The approved trial brings innovation and the latest aviation technological advances to Port Lincoln Airport to improve safety, security and efficiencies. MSS Security applied to CASA over 18 months ago and has worked closely with them and Port Lincoln Airport staff to utilise BVLOS drone technology for remote monitoring of the airport’s boundary perimeter.

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The drone is remotely operated from MSS Security’s Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Melbourne, Victoria and conducts regular security checks of the car parks and boundary perimeter at night time. The drone is equipped with infrared / thermal cameras, spotlights and a speaker, allowing the remote pilot to further inspect anomalies, make announcements, and any incidents are triaged locally depending on their nature. The trial demonstrates drone versatility and offers a cost effective solution to boundary perimeter monitoring. The drone follows multiple pre-programmed flight path at regular intervals through the night. The infrared / thermal capability of the onboard cameras makes the drone highly effective detecting unauthorised persons, stray animals and wildlife that may pose a risk to airside operations.

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Mayor Jo-Anne Quigley says “Council is always looking for ways to improve community safety and this innovative use of technology demonstrates how surveillance can be increased in a cost effective manner. Aviation is a highly regulated, controlled environment and I commend MSS on their diligent approach to making this trial possible”.

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MSS Security Managing Director, Geoff Alcock said “MSS Security is proud to be the security solutions partner to Lower Eyre Council and Port Lincoln Airport and are delighted to be able to extend our relationship beyond the traditional screening and security services normally associated with Airports. We absolutely commend the Council and Port Lincoln Airport for their foresight and willingness to embrace new technologies and solutions such as the MSS Drone surveillance service”.

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The trial will occur over the next 12 months and will likely be used as a national test case for the aviation sector, demonstrating the advantages of advanced air mobility in regional airports. It is envisaged the outcome of a successful trial will result in utilising drones at other airports across the nation as well as new use cases for the unmanned technology.

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Read the Case Study here: How MSS Security Transformed Port Lincoln Airport Safety with BVLOS Drone Operations in Australia