Airspace Link

Airspace Link, Inc. develops cloud-based software that supports the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) into low-altitude national airspace. Its core product, the AirHub Portal, combines three functional layers: airspace security (real-time airspace awareness with friend-or-foe identification, vendor-agnostic multi-sensor and counter-UAS integration, and a common operating picture across departments and jurisdictions); drone operations management (a full-lifecycle Drone Operations Management System covering procurement, mission planning, crew and asset management, checklists and flight risk assessments, aircraft maintenance logs, compliance and post-flight audit trails); and air traffic coordination (UAS traffic management with strategic deconfliction among authorized operators, intended to support BVLOS, delivery, drone-as-first-responder and urban air mobility operations).

The platform is approved by the FAA to provide B4UFLY safety checks and LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) authorizations, and to supply UTM services in the U.S. Shared Airspace UTM network; the company describes itself as one of a small number of FAA-approved UAS Service Suppliers. Earlier company materials also describe Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP) capabilities, ground risk assessment, localized advisories to pilots and a public viewer for community engagement. AirHub is built on Esri technology, using ArcGIS Online and Survey123, and integrates with systems such as ServiceNow, Salesforce, and 911/311 platforms. The company states SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications.

Customer-facing programs include the FlySafe Program powered by AirHub, a turn-key offering for communities and government agencies, and sector-specific solution packages for state and local government, federal and defense, and commercial and enterprise operators.

Founding story

CEO Michael Healander, a drone pilot with a background building geospatial applications, identified the lack of a mapping, routing and rules framework for low-altitude drone flight, analogous to Waze or Google Maps for ground vehicles, and conceived a low-altitude digital infrastructure to address it. He previously was a senior partner at GISinc and founded and spun off Geometri, a planning and analytics platform acquired by Acuity Brands. He founded the company in 2018 in Detroit, Michigan with two co-founders: Daniel Bradshaw, CTO, who had worked with Healander at both prior companies and had state and local government geospatial experience, and Ana Healander, who brought sales and account management experience and is married to Michael Healander.

Business model

Airspace Link sells software-as-a-service access to the AirHub platform to government agencies, defense and federal organizations, and commercial drone operators, and works through partners and system integrators (for example Esri, where it is listed as a Gold partner, and Thales). Early materials describe a partner-centric financial model and a strategy of working with drone manufacturers, operators, software and service providers; the company also described a deliberate early shift away from a revenue focus toward onboarding customers and accumulating airspace data before converting that data into paid infrastructure.

Subscription/SaaS access to the AirHub Portal and related drone infrastructure services for municipalities, agencies and enterprises, complemented by implementation, hosting, integration and training services delivered as an Esri partner.

Traction

Headcount grew from three founders to 17 employees by mid-2021 and to near 50 by mid-2022. By May 2021 the company reported partnerships with over forty U.S. government agencies and municipalities. Deployments and programs cited include work with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, North Dakota DOT, VantisUAS, the FAA BEYOND program and Thales on statewide drone infrastructure in North Dakota; participation in a multi-modal autonomous transport demonstration in Ohio led by VyrtX and JobsOhio that moved medical payloads; a Kansas City Police Department regional drone security and airspace coordination deployment for the FIFA World Cup 2026; and a state-funded autonomous parts delivery program in Michigan with Jack Demmer Automotive Group and blueflite.

Latest developments

The company has released a series of AirHub Portal capabilities including operations sharing for cross-organization coordination, aircraft maintenance logs, drone classification within detection workflows (May 2026), and digital checklists and flight risk assessments tied to operation records (July 2026). It published a recap of XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit (May 2026), and announced with the Kansas City Police Department and regional public safety stakeholders the deployment of a regional drone security and airspace coordination platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026. A separate announcement covers a state-funded autonomous parts delivery program in Michigan with Jack Demmer Automotive Group and blueflite. Marketing materials reference readiness for FAA Part 108 BVLOS operations.