IMPETUS · Project

Cloud Platform That Manages Drone Traffic Safely Alongside Regular Aircraft

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Imagine air traffic control, but for drones — and it needs to work alongside the existing system for planes. Right now there's no good way to manage thousands of drones flying at the same time while keeping them away from regular aircraft. IMPETUS built a cloud-based platform that acts like an air traffic control tower for drones, using small plug-and-play software modules that can scale up as demand grows. Think of it like adding lanes to a highway without shutting down traffic.

By the numbers

consortium partners across 4 countries

71%

industry partners in the consortium

EUR 899,160

EU contribution to develop the platform

total project deliverables produced

industry partners including Boeing, Jeppesen, and Altitude Angel

The business problem

What needed solving

Commercial drone operations are growing fast, but there is no efficient way to manage large numbers of drones in shared airspace alongside regular aircraft. Current systems cannot scale to handle diverse drone missions, business models, and operators while maintaining aviation safety standards. Companies wanting to fly drones commercially face fragmented airspace management, data quality concerns, and no clear path to integrate with existing air traffic control.

The solution

What was built

The project built and demonstrated the IMPETUS platform — a cloud-based, serverless drone traffic management system using a micro-services architecture. The platform includes plug-and-play software modules that can scale for multiple users, mechanisms for data quality and integrity assurance, and bridges to connect unmanned drone traffic with manned air traffic management systems. A total of 9 deliverables were produced.

Audience

Who needs this

Commercial drone fleet operators (delivery, survey, inspection)Air navigation service providers integrating drones into controlled airspaceInfrastructure companies using drones for bridge and pipeline inspectionsUTM software developers building drone management platformsAirport operators managing drone activity near airports

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Drone operations and logistics

any

Target: Commercial drone operators running delivery, inspection, or survey fleets

If you are a drone operator managing multiple missions daily and struggling with airspace coordination — this project developed a cloud-based traffic management platform with plug-and-play micro-services that scales to handle multiple users with diverse business models. The system was designed to integrate with existing manned air traffic systems, reducing the risk of airspace conflicts. The consortium of 7 partners across 4 countries built and tested the platform's feasibility.

Infrastructure inspection

mid-size

Target: Companies using drones for bridge, pipeline, or power line inspections

If you are an infrastructure company using drones for bridge or pipeline inspections and dealing with airspace access restrictions — this project developed a drone management system that connects directly to air traffic management data. Consortium partner INECO is already a certified company for commercial drone bridge inspections. The platform ensures data quality and integrity for safety-critical aeronautical information, which is essential for regulated inspection work.

Air navigation service providers

enterprise

Target: National air navigation authorities and airport operators

If you are an air navigation service provider trying to integrate drone traffic into your existing airspace management — this project developed a system that bridges unmanned and manned traffic management using established aviation data exchange standards. The platform was built with input from CRIDA, the reference research centre supporting ENAIRE (Spain's air navigation provider). It handles data quality assurance for safety-critical aeronautical information across both manned and unmanned systems.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this drone traffic management platform?

The project had an EU contribution of EUR 899,160 across 7 partners over roughly 2.5 years. Based on available project data, specific licensing or implementation costs are not published. Contact the coordinator for commercial terms.

Can this scale to handle thousands of simultaneous drone operations?

The platform was specifically designed for scalability using a cloud-based serverless architecture. The micro-services approach means individual components can scale independently to respond to multiple users with diverse business models. However, large-scale stress testing results are not detailed in available deliverable descriptions.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The project produced 9 deliverables including a demonstrated platform and micro-services model. IP ownership typically sits with consortium partners including Altitude Angel, Jeppesen, Boeing, and INECO. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the relevant partner holding the specific IP.

Does this comply with current EU drone regulations (U-space)?

The project ran from 2017 to 2020 under the SESAR research programme, which directly feeds into EU aviation regulatory development. It was funded under the RPAS-02 topic, focused specifically on drone integration. The platform was designed to work within the emerging U-space concept, though regulatory alignment should be verified against current requirements.

How does this integrate with existing air traffic management systems?

Boeing specifically contributed expertise on using SWIM (System Wide Information Management) standards as the main bridge to exchange information between unmanned and manned traffic management systems. Jeppesen and TU Darmstadt ensured the quality of aeronautical safety-critical data. The platform is designed to plug into existing ATM infrastructure.

Is this ready for commercial deployment today?

The project demonstrated a working platform and micro-services model to test technological feasibility. However, as a SESAR research project closed in 2020, further development would be needed for full commercial deployment. Several partners like Altitude Angel already offer commercial UTM services that may incorporate learnings from this project.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a strong industry-led consortium with 5 out of 7 partners (71%) from industry, spanning 4 countries. The lineup includes major aviation players: Boeing brought expertise in aviation data exchange standards, Jeppesen (a Boeing subsidiary) handled IT services for safety-critical data, and Altitude Angel contributed existing commercial UTM capabilities. INECO added real-world drone inspection experience, while C-ASTRAL brought diverse drone business model expertise. The academic side is covered by TU Darmstadt and research centre CRIDA, which supports Spain's national air navigation provider ENAIRE. With 2 SMEs in the mix, this consortium blends established aviation industry weight with agile drone-sector companies — a combination that signals practical, deployment-oriented results rather than purely academic output.

CENTRO DE REFERENCIA INVESTIGACION DESARROLLO E INNOVACION ATM, A.I.E.Coordinator · ES
INGENIERIA Y ECONOMIA DEL TRANSPORTE SME MP SAparticipant · ES
JEPPESEN GMBHparticipant · DE
ALTITUDE ANGEL LIMITEDparticipant · UK
BOEING AEROSPACE SPAINparticipant · ES
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DARMSTADTparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

CRIDA (Centro de Referencia Investigacion Desarrollo e Innovacion ATM) in Spain — the reference research centre for ENAIRE, Spain's air navigation service provider

Order a report on this consortium See CENTRO DE REFERENCIA INVESTIGACION DESARROLLO E INNOVACION ATM, A.I.E. profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the IMPETUS consortium about drone traffic management integration? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the right partner for your specific use case.

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