Air Traffic Management

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concepts, such as flying taxis and package delivery drones, are increasingly viewed as an essential component of future transportation systems. But before UAM flights can occur on a meaningful scale, several challenges need to be tackled including airspace integration. Recognising the need to address this challenge, several initiatives are underway worldwide to develop the new Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) services needed to facilitate UAM flights. In this context, the European Commission has initiated the European U-space UTM system. U-space development has been divided into four distinct phases named U1-U4 where the complexity of the resulting operations are gradually increased.

In addition to supporting defense operations, Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have numerous civilian applications ranging from infrastructure inspection to search and rescue. However, the current regulatory environment in Europe inhibit such applications as they only permit MALE RPAS operations in segregated airspace. Furthermore, each MALE RPAS flight requires numerous permissions from national aviation authorities, and this process can be very time consuming.

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) promises to be the next mobility revolution, enabling faster, more efficient and sustainable transport solutions (such as flying taxis and other large drones) throughout urban areas. But there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome for UAM to become a reality. These include the organisation of the lower-level airspace, the scale-up of operations in a safe way, integration with ATM, the development of an architecture that can support operations and public acceptance.

U-space, the air traffic control system for drones, is a set of new services relying on a high level of automation. It offers great potential to fly drones simultaneously in complex environments and is regarded as an enabler for Urban Air Mobility. U-space will provide safe integration with manned traffic. Before the establishment of U-space, EC regulation requires the airspace to be designated as “U-space Airspace” and an airspace risk assessment is required.