Imagine drones and airplanes sharing the same sky without crashing or needing separate 'lanes'. Right now, drones mostly fly in their own isolated zones. This work creates the rulebook so drones can safely fly higher and closer to major airports.
Drones are currently limited to segregated airspace, which prevents them from being used for high-value commercial missions near airports or at higher altitudes.
A draft of the U-space Concept of Operations (ConOps) edition 5.0 and an Integration Roadmap for outstanding research.
If you are a drone operator dealing with restricted flight zones near cities — this project developed the ConOps v5.0 that allows drones to fly in controlled airspace. This enables more direct routes and faster delivery times.
If you are a USSP dealing with the lack of clear rules for high-altitude drone flights — this project developed a mature Concept of Operations that includes airspace above VLL. This provides the technical basis to build and sell new flight management services.
If you are an airport operator dealing with the risk of unauthorized drones near runways — this project developed integration guidelines for the vicinity of controlled airports. This ensures safe coexistence between manned aircraft and unpiloted vehicles.
Based on available project data, no specific pricing or implementation costs are provided; the EU contribution for the development is EUR 887,717.
The project is currently developing the ConOps v5.0 to enable widespread use, but it is a stepwise approach rather than a finished industrial product.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project focuses on recommendations for standardization and regulation.
The project provides Recommendations for Standardization and Regulation to move from segregated to integrated airspace.
The project period runs from 2024-09-01 to 2027-02-28, with results provided upon the release of ConOps edition 5.0.
The consortium is heavily industry-weighted with 6 industrial partners (46% ratio) and 13 total partners across 8 countries. Led by EUROCONTROL, it includes a strategic mix of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), a USSP, a CISP, and a drone operator, ensuring the resulting rules are grounded in actual operational needs rather than just theory.
Contact EUROCONTROL - European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation
Contact us to track the release of ConOps v5.0 and its impact on drone regulations.
