The European U-ELCOME project, coordinated by EUROCONTROL and led by ENAIRE in Spain, has concluded its latest validation campaign in Fuerteventura with a practical demonstration of the use of U-Space technology.
The test was carried out at the Canarias Stratoport, a public facility at the Fuerteventura Technology Park SA, which specialises in the testing and operation of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and high-altitude pseudosatellites (HAPS).
During the exercise, emergency situations requiring aerial reconnaissance and the transport of medical supplies were simulated. The flights were carried out by UAS operated by the Telespazio Ibérica-Pegasus joint venture, which detected an incident and activated an emergency protocol. A Canary Islands Government Emergency and Rescue helicopter then took off from Fuerteventura Airport to provide assistance. In a second phase, medication was delivered by drone to the scene.
The entire operation was coordinated using U-Space services managed by ENAIRE and ITG, which enabled safe integration between the drones and conventional air traffic, taking place in controlled airspace for this test.
ENAIRE has been designated the Single Common Information Service Provider (CISP) in Spain, forming a bridge between traditional air navigation services and new digital drone operators.
“This flight demonstration in Fuerteventura concludes the last of the validation campaigns that we have carried out during the three years of the U-ELCOME project in eight Spanish autonomous communities,” said Rodrigo Benedit Pascual, technician of the Drones Business Development Department at ENAIRE and technical coordinator of the U-ELCOME project in Spain. “However, thanks to this project, many of them will continue to carry out drone flights with the use cases that we have been showing here.”
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