Four drones, a light aircraft and a helicopter have been successful coordinated in a fire-fighting exercise as one of the final trials in the U-ELCOME (U-space European COMmon dEpLoyment) programme. Using U-space traffic management technologies and procedures, the drones were used collaboratively to manage the emergency alongside other airborne platforms.
The demonstration focused on the safety benefits that U-space offers when applied to emergency operations involving drones and crewed aviation, as well as the accessibility U-space provides to authorities when they need to interact with drone operations at a specific location and time, such as during emergency management, according to programme member ENAIRE.
Gonzalo Alonso, Head of ENAIRE’s Commercial and International Business Development Division, said “The emergency drill we carried out today in Navarre was very interesting, as it involved simultaneous light aircraft, helicopter and drone operations in a U-space environment”.
The U-ELCOME project is a European initiative, technically managed by the SESAR Joint Undertaking, aimed at promoting the safe and efficient integration of drones into urban airspace through the deployment of U-space services. Coordinated by EUROCONTROL and involving 51 partners from across Europe, including ENAIRE, the project focuses on the development and demonstration of U-space services at 15 locations in Spain, Italy and France.
The demonstration was organised by the Government of Navarre at the Pyrineum International Flight Centre in Lumbier, with the participation of the Public University of Navarre (UPNA), FUVEX, NAITEC, PYRINEUM, ITG, and ENAIRE.
For the past three years, all project partners have been working to develop and validate services for managing drone traffic in urban areas, thereby enabling operations and applications in cities that would otherwise not be feasible. This project has received funding from the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under grant agreement No 101079171.
(Image: The Regional Minister of the Interior, Public Service and Justice of the Government of Navarre, Amparo López, was accompanied by Gonzalo Alonso, Head of ENAIRE’s Commercial and International Business Development Division; the Director General for the Interior, Salvador Díez; the Head of the Technical Division of the Navarre Police, José Antonio Larrasoaña; and the Head of the Gaming and Entertainment Division of the Navarre Police, Daniel Cano. – ENAIRE)
For more information
https://www.enaire.es/en_GB/2025_05_23/ndp_navarre_tests_integration_of_drones_aviation_in_european__
