Spanish air navigation services provider ENAIRE, the Benidorm City Council and the Polytechnic University of Valencia met on 15 October to discuss U-space in Benidorm. ENAIRE also provided an uncrewed traffic management demonstration. The meeting was held with the intention of bringing administrations, operators, users and agents of the sector closer to the safe and efficient integration of drones in the airspace.
Institutional representatives and national and international experts analysed the current state of U-space services, the European regulatory framework and the new opportunities opened up by the operation of uncrewed aircraft in urban environments.
During the morning, EUROCONTROL specialists presented the evolution of the U-space project in Europe, while representatives of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation presented the progress of the National Action Plan for the Deployment of U-space and zoning (2026-2030 (PANDU+), an initiative aimed at facilitating the coordinated deployment of these services.
ENAIRE and the Polytechnic University of Valencia discussed the implications of U-space for drone operators and manned aviation. The session addressed key aspects such as new operating procedures, safety benefits, requirements for UAS operations, available aeronautical information and the role of the Geozone Manager in airspace management.
ENAIRE presented a practical simulation of the U-space services through a demonstration of the digital platform that enables the safe and coordinated management of drone operations. Attendees were able to experience processes such as flight plan activation, automated alert management and interaction with dynamic geographic areas.
Benidorm has a growing role as a laboratory for the development of advanced air mobility in Europe. In February 2025, Benidorm hosted the first simultaneous operation in Europe involving an uncrewed air taxi and multiple drones in an urban environment managed through U-space services under the European U-ELCOME project.
ENAIRE said that yesterday’s event detailed how the progress demonstrated in that project is being progressively transferred from the experimental to the operational level, bringing administrations, operators and citizens closer to the capabilities that will make the safe expansion of drone operations possible in the cities of the future.
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