During an opening ceremony at the new Civil Aviation Building, the Italian National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) and the Department for Digital Transformation (DTD) have marked one year since the presentation of HyperTwin – the digital platform for innovative air mobility that aims to simplify and speed up the evaluation process for authorisations and for the management of services.
HyperTwin is the result of a collaboration agreement between the DTD and ENAC, and a major component of the Italian Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem. It involves developing a national system for the safe use of drones and eVTOLs (electrically powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft for passenger transport). The project promotes cooperation between public and private stakeholders, the sharing of data and information, and the creation of a transparent and reliable framework for the development of the sector.
“The new digital platform represents a decisive step forward for the growth of innovative air services and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), which, thanks to electrification and digitalisation, introduces a new dimension to urban mobility, easing ground transportation congestion and promoting more sustainable solutions,” ENAC said, adding that multimodal integration with public and private systems will allow local areas to optimise existing resources. “The use of drones will enable safe, low-emission operations, with benefits for quality of life and for critical activities such as medical transport, emergency response and connecting remote areas.”
The collaboration between the DTD and ENAC also aims to promote the creation of cross-industry technology hubs dedicated to vertical mobility, matching supply and demand for services from different sectors.
ENAC President Pierluigi Di Palma spoke of the importance of recognising that drones and new technologies have already transformed daily lives. “In the field of air mobility, ENAC is pioneering innovation with Regional Air Mobility (RAM), which ensures rapid travel using traditional means, pending the expansion of traffic once passenger drones arrive. The future is already here. We have tools at our disposal that can improve the quality of life and strengthen the country’s competitiveness, creating and enhancing new professional skills. HyperTwin is just the first step in an evolutionary path that will help redesign the airspace of the coming years, making it safer, more efficient and more sustainable.”
Meanwhile, the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Senator Alessio Butti said HyperTwin is proof of how innovation and technology can change lives. “Advanced air mobility introduces a new dimension of urban and territorial mobility. It offers a real alternative to increasingly congested land mobility and the limitations of traditional forms of transport. In all these cases, HyperTwin allows us to simulate scenarios before they happen, to evaluate their feasibility, to measure their risks, and to build safe operating procedures. In short, a digital twin like HyperTwin is a valuable ally for public policy.”
ENAC Director General Alexander D’Orsogna called HyperTwin an exemplary model of innovation and digital transformation at the service of the Public Administration. “Thanks to its cutting-edge technological architecture, the platform optimises processes dedicated to managing advanced air mobility. In a landscape where safety, efficiency, and transparency are essential requirements, HyperTwin can represent a solution to guide the evolution of air mobility of the future.”
Domenico Lopreiato, COO of the Digital Transformation Department, and Marco Catalano, Director of Regulation and Research for Innovative Mobility at ENAC, demonstrated a scenario for using the HyperTwin platform to participants.
Changes to the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Mobility were also shared. The discussions included Mauro Berzovini, Head of Partnerships & Funding, Leonardo Helicopters; Nicola Marietti, CEO, Aiviewgroup; Mariano Feccia, Director, Lazio Region Transplant Center; Calogero Giammusso, Head of Operations, UrbanV; Alberto Iovino, Compliance Monitoring Manager, D-Flight; and Paola Olivares, Director, PoliMi Observatories.
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Image: ENAC
