Demonstrations show feasibility of future drone operations in Europe

As part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking's Digital Sky Demonstrator U-ELCOME, two drone demonstrations took place in April 2025, showcasing the feasibility of integrating uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) into European airspace.

In Galicia, Spain, project partner, ITG coordinated a large-scale demonstration of U-space services at the Port of A Coruña, bringing together 51 European partners led by EUROCONTROL. In a complex operational environment, nine drone flights were carried out simultaneously, including a long-range urgent logistics mission between A Coruña and Malpica. Thanks to U-space technology, the journey time was reduced from 40 to just 15 minutes - achieving zero emissions and no traffic constraints. Key partners including Cartogalicia S.L., Aeromedia U.A.V. S.L., Aerocamaras, INECO, and the Barcelona Drone Centre participated, with support from ENAIRE and Alvedro Airport's control tower. The demonstration successfully integrated crewed and uncrewed air traffic, confirming Galicia's readiness to deploy automated drone operations by 2026. ITG also presented cutting-edge developments from its Galaxy Lab, further strengthening the region's leadership in aerial innovation.

Meanwhile, at Gorizia Airport in Italy, U-ELCOME marked another major milestone with the demonstration of the Pipistrel Nuuva V300-a hybrid-electric, long-range VTOL cargo drone. The showcase highlighted key U-space capabilities such as:

• ✔️ Digital flight plan submission
• ✔️ Activation and deactivation
• ✔️ Network electronic identification (e-ID)

The event was made possible thanks to collaboration between project partners Pipistrel Aircraft, Honeywell GCS, ENAV, and D-Flight, demonstrating how U-space services can enable safe and scalable drone operations across Europe.

Funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under grant agreement No. 101079171, U-ELCOME is accelerating the adoption of drone services in Spain, France, and Italy - paving the way for a smarter, greener, and more connected European sky.

More about the demonstrator