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Today (February 27), Benidorm in Spain hosted the first simultaneous flight in Europe of an air taxi and drones in a real urban setting, with three U-Space service providers ensuring a safe and efficient operation.
The skies over Poniente and Levante beaches became the stage for this pioneering aerial demonstration, coordinated by the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) as part of the European U-ELCOME project.
During the demonstration, an EH216-S air taxi, an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) for passenger transport developed by EHang, successfully flew alongside 12 drones performing a variety of simulated operations, including cargo transport, delivery, surveillance, and rescue missions. The entire operation was monitored and managed through advanced digital platforms within the European U-space framework, ensuring flight safety and operational efficiency.
This aerial demonstration, led by UPV, was made possible through public-private collaboration, with participation from: EHang, City of Benidorm, EUROCONTROL, ENAIRE, Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), General Directorate of Civil Aviation, Technological Institute of Galicia (ITG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), National and local security forces, including Alicante’s National Police, PEGASO team of the Civil Guard, Valencia’s Firefighters, and multiple local police units, Telefónica, UAV Works, and audiovisual firm Mediterra Cinema, responsible for aerial drone footage.
“For the first time, we have safely operated multiple drones and an air taxi under a U-space digital system with several U-Space Service Providers (USSPs), including ENAIRE, ITG, and UAB,” said Gonzalo Alonso, Head of Commercial & International Business Development at ENAIRE and leader of the Spanish cluster of U-ELCOME. “The integration of passenger transport air taxis into urban airspace must meet the same safety standards as commercial aviation. We are undergoing a major digital transformation that will enable unmanned air taxi operations alongside traditional aviation.”
Today’s demonstration marks a major step toward the realisation of urban air mobility in Europe. With regulatory advancements, technological developments, and continued testing, the U-ELCOME project team believes air taxis could soon become a common sight in the skies.
Launched in 2022, the U-ELCOME project has until October 2025 to implement and deploy U-Space in order to enable real application and support its future regulation and standardisation. According to Israel Quintanilla, Director of the Official Drone Commission at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and project coordinator for the Valencian region, several challenges still need to be addressed, including regulations, infrastructure, and public acceptance. “A specific regulatory framework for air taxis is currently under development in Europe, new physical infrastructure, such as vertiports (landing and takeoff zones for air taxis), must be built, urban planning must adapt to accommodate this new mode of transport, U-space air traffic management systems must ensure safe and coordinated drone flights and public perception and acceptance of drones and air taxis need to improve.”