Metropolis 2 · Project

Drone Traffic Management Software for Safe High-Density Urban Air Operations

transportTestedTRL 5

Imagine thousands of delivery drones, air taxis, and inspection vehicles all flying over a city at once — right now, there are no proper traffic rules for that. Metropolis 2 figured out how to design airspace lanes, plan flight paths, and keep drones safely separated when the sky gets extremely crowded. Think of it as building the motorway system and traffic lights for the drone age, then testing which design works best through large-scale simulations and a real-world demo. The result is a set of proven rules and algorithms that urban drone operators can plug into their systems.

By the numbers

consortium partners across Europe

countries represented in consortium

EUR 1,692,760

EU research investment

separation management concepts implemented and compared

total project deliverables produced

industry partners involved in development

The business problem

What needed solving

Cities worldwide are preparing for large-scale drone operations — delivery, inspection, air taxis — but there are no proven traffic management rules for handling thousands of aircraft in dense urban airspace simultaneously. Current air traffic management relies on assigning exclusive airspace blocks to individual flights, which simply cannot scale to the volumes urban drone operations require. Without shared airspace rules and automated separation management, urban air mobility remains stuck at low-density, low-value applications.

The solution

What was built

The project built software implementations of three different drone traffic management concepts covering strategic deconfliction, tactical deconfliction, and dynamic capacity management for U-space U3/U4 services. These were compared through simulation trials and the best-performing concept was validated in a real-world demonstration, producing 12 deliverables total.

Audience

Who needs this

Drone delivery operators planning high-volume urban servicesUTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) platform developersAir navigation service providers expanding into U-spaceCity authorities developing urban air mobility regulationseVTOL / air taxi companies designing urban route networks

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban Air Mobility / Drone Delivery

any

Target: Drone logistics and delivery operators

If you are a drone delivery company planning high-volume urban operations — this project developed separation management algorithms and airspace design rules tested in simulation that let you fly safely at extreme traffic densities. The unified approach to flight planning and deconfliction means your fleet can share airspace with other operators instead of needing exclusive corridors, dramatically increasing throughput. The consortium of 9 partners across 7 countries validated the concepts against realistic urban scenarios.

Air Navigation Service Providers

enterprise

Target: ANSPs and UTM platform developers

If you are a UTM platform provider struggling to scale beyond low-density rural operations — this project built and compared multiple concept implementations for U-space U3/U4 services including strategic deconfliction, tactical deconfliction, and dynamic capacity management. The software was tested in simulation trials before real-world demonstration, giving you validated building blocks to integrate into your traffic management platform. With 4 industry partners already involved, the technology is designed for operational integration.

Smart City Infrastructure

enterprise

Target: City authorities and urban planning consultancies

If you are a city authority preparing for drone operations above your streets — this project delivers concrete airspace design rules that determine how vehicles interact in dense urban environments. Instead of blanket flight bans, you get evidence-based capacity management that balances safety with traffic demand. The results draw on expertise from 4 universities and 1 research institute across 7 European countries, giving you vendor-neutral guidance for your urban air mobility regulations.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or implement this technology?

The project was funded with EUR 1,692,760 in EU contribution as a Research and Innovation Action. Specific licensing terms are not published in the project data. Contact the coordinator (TU Delft) to discuss access to the software implementations and any IP arrangements.

Can this scale to real urban operations with thousands of drones?

The project was specifically designed for extremely high traffic densities expected in urban applications. Multiple concepts were compared via simulation, and the most promising one was validated in a real-world demonstration. Scaling from simulation to full city-wide deployment would require additional integration with live U-space infrastructure.

Who owns the intellectual property?

The consortium of 9 partners across 7 countries jointly developed the results. IP ownership typically follows EU Horizon 2020 grant rules where each partner owns the results they generated. TU Delft as coordinator can clarify specific licensing options for the software implementations.

How does this fit with existing U-space regulations?

Metropolis 2 directly targets U-space U3 and U4 service levels — the advanced tiers needed for high-density operations. It builds on results from existing U-space projects and the first Metropolis project. The work aligns with SESAR research priorities, making it relevant to the evolving European regulatory roadmap.

What was actually delivered and when?

The project ran from November 2020 to December 2022 and produced 12 deliverables including concept implementations (software) that were tested in simulation trials. Initial software versions were delivered two months before final deadlines to catch problems before actual simulation trials.

Can these algorithms integrate with our existing drone management platform?

The project produced software implementations of three different separation management concepts. These cover strategic deconfliction, tactical deconfliction, and dynamic capacity management — core functions any UTM platform needs. Integration feasibility would depend on your platform architecture; the consortium included 4 industry partners experienced in operational systems.

Consortium

Who built it

The Metropolis 2 consortium brings together 9 partners from 7 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, Netherlands, Sweden), led by TU Delft — one of Europe's top aerospace universities. The 50/50 split between industry (4 partners) and academia (4 universities + 1 research institute) signals a project that bridges research and real-world application. With 2 SMEs and a 44% industry ratio, the consortium has meaningful commercial involvement, though TU Delft (a non-SME higher education institution) as coordinator means the primary IP stewardship sits on the academic side. For a business looking to adopt these results, the multi-country, multi-partner setup means the technology was designed with European-wide deployment in mind, not a single national market.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFTCoordinator · NL
LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
EVERIS AEROESPACIAL Y DEFENSA SLparticipant · ES
UNIFLYparticipant · BE
STICHTING KONINKLIJK NEDERLANDS LUCHT - EN RUIMTEVAARTCENTRUMparticipant · NL
NTT DATA SPAIN, SLparticipant · ES
ECOLE NATIONALE DE L AVIATION CIVILEparticipant · FR
PANEPISTIMIO PATRONparticipant · EL

How to reach the team

TU Delft (Netherlands) coordinated the project — reach out via their aerospace engineering faculty or the project website

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the Metropolis 2 team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right researchers for your specific urban air mobility challenge.

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