In June this year, we attended the Drone & Unmanned Aviation Conference, South Africa’s flagship drone event where stakeholders in the country’s commercial drone space meet annually compare notes on the pace of the industry’s growth.

We worked with conference sponsor, drone insurance services provider, iTOO Special Risks, to pick the minds of the top voices in South Africa when it comes to commercial drone applications.

The interviews ranged from industry growth, potential, the current state of the drone space as well as the future of drone technology operations in South Africa.

And of course, this one will feature iTOO themselves, who seconded their drone underwriting specialist, Kopano Tholo, to discuss the prospects of drone insurance.

One of the pioneering companies in drone insurance, iTOO has become an early pace setter in the commercial drone insurance space; and the Hollard-owned company has not looked back since it launched the first commercial drone insurance service in South Africa.

iTOO’s Commercial Drone & Unmanned Aviation/Commercial Drone Cover offers a fully comprehensive package, in which it can insure against risks ranging from own damage and disappearance, to third party liability and personal accident.

“From the mining sector to construction, film, agriculture and any industry in between, if you use drones for business and operate with a commercial pilot’s licence, then iTOO’s Commercial Drone & Unmanned Aviation/iTOO’s Commercial Drone cover is just for you,” the company says.

“Our product covers every risk from own damage and disappearance, to third party liability and personal accident. Our cover includes anything up to R2 million and a weight of up to 30kg, with pay outs based on the full replacement value of your drone or equipment.”

Among others, iTOO offers cover for the following drone infrastructure and operations

• Hulls and spares
• Loss of or damage to your drone airframe including detachable payloads
• Specified camera and lenses forming part of the payload whilst in flight
• Disappearance of aerial hijacking or confiscation of your drone (theft/in transit)
• Payload and spares
• Theft and damage in transit and accident damage to spares
• Payload, spares, and hull are covered up to R4 million and a weight of up to 86kg
• Third party liability
• Accidental third-party injury or death, or accidental damage to property
• Damage to goods or products that form part of, or are used with your drone
• Damage to someone else’s drone while in your care