ENAIRE hosted the final event for the dissemination of results of the European project SPATIO (u-Space sePAraTIOn management) on 22 September, concluding three years of research into safely integrating a growing number of drones into an increasingly complex and dynamic airspace.
The event brought together more than 60 attendees from 30 companies and public and private organisations in the aeronautical and technological sector, including representatives from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
During its three-year implementation, the project has developed and validated innovative solutions aimed at improving separation management between uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). These capabilities combine pre-planning of operations with real-time monitoring and control tools capable of anticipating and resolving potential in-flight conflicts. SPATIO has also taken a step towards a socially accepted integration of drones by developing specific services to identify, monitor and mitigate the acoustic impact of operations, preventing noise levels from exceeding thresholds that are bothersome to the public. The project has also addressed ground safety through tools capable of detecting areas with a higher risk of incidents over populated areas and applying dynamic limits to the density of uncrewed traffic.
SPATIO has helped to consolidate a U-space airspace model prepared to support high-density drone operations. The systems developed by the project have been tested through multiple demonstration flights carried out in four different operational scenarios in Ireland, Romania and Spain. ENAIRE says these exercises have enabled the consortium to validate its services under real-world conditions and demonstrate their potential to facilitate increasingly safe, automated, and scalable operations in the U-space environment.
During the 22 September event held at ENAIRE headquarters, industry experts, regulatory bodies and institutional representatives analysed the next steps needed to industrialise the solutions developed through SPATIO and accelerate their arrival to market.
“The results obtained will allow us to continue moving towards the implementation of U-space services capable of responding to the expected growth of drone operations, contributing to European leadership in aeronautical innovation and advanced air mobility,” ENAIRE said.
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Image: Mariluz de Mateo, Director of Strategy and Innovation at ENAIRE, speaks at the 22 September 2026 event. (ENAIRE)