ENAIRE has closed the European SPATIO project, which developed and validated U-space services designed to make drone traffic management safer and more scalable across European airspace. The final event took place at ENAIRE’s headquarters in Madrid, with the programme focused on pre-flight mission planning, real-time monitoring and separation management for unmanned aircraft.
Led by ENAIRE through its R&D subsidiary CRIDA, SPATIO ran from 2023 to 2026 under the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking and received about €7 million in European funding. More than 20 partners took part, including Spanish companies and universities such as Ineco, Indra, Boeing, ITG, Sopra Steria, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
The project carried out demonstrations in Ireland, Romania and Spain, including Galicia and the Community of Madrid, in real operational environments rather than simulations. It also examined dynamic traffic-density limits, urban safety and tools to measure and reduce acoustic impact, areas seen as important for public acceptance and future industrial deployment. The next phase is expected to focus on industrialising the validated solutions.