Benidorm hosts the first flight in Europe of an air taxi and drones in an urban environment and U-space

This morning, Benidorm hosted the first simultaneous flight in Europe of an air taxi and drones in a real urban environment, with three U-Space service providers. The beaches of Poniente and Levante have become the scene of an aerial demonstration, coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in which an EH216-S air taxi – an unmanned aerial vehicle – for passenger transport, from the company EHang, with the capacity to transport two people, has been operated simultaneously, together with 12 drones that have simulated various operations, from transporting and delivering goods, to surveillance and rescue work, and with different manned aircraft. All of them, monitored and supervised by digital and automated platforms of the European unmanned airspace management system (U-space) that guarantees flight safety and efficiency in operations.

This major aerial demonstration, a first in Europe, is part of the European U-ELCOME project (CEF-T-2021-SIMOBGEN-SESAR-DSDU-WORKS), in which 51 partners from three countries – Spain, France and Italy – are participating, coordinated by EUROCONTROL. Its objective is to integrate and validate the first U-space services (drone air traffic management) in Europe so that several large-scale demonstrations are carried out in real flight conditions in the three participating countries.

“The first flight of the Ehang EH216-S air taxi in an urban environment in Europe, albeit without passengers, is a crucial step towards Urban Air Mobility (UAM), which will allow progress in the necessary regulation, technology and infrastructure, so that in this decade it will become a reality, with the management of the airspace for the flight of multiple drones being the key to success,” said Israel Quintanilla, director of the Official Drone Commission of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and coordinator of the project in the Valencian Community.

Benidorm has been selected as one of the first European cities in which actions of this nature are being carried out and could become one of the first cities where drone applications in urban environments become a reality. “In 2016 we opted for this technology, incorporating it into the operations of the Local Police, the first in Spain to be declared a drone operator, and since then, and with the support of the UPV, we have continued to take steps to consolidate our preferred position in a future segment, making our airspace available to the European U-ELCOME project, unique in Europe due to its concentration of high-rise buildings that make it the perfect laboratory to test the different applications of unmanned aerial transport,” said Toni Pérez, Mayor of Benidorm. In addition, by hosting the first flight test of an air taxi in Europe, “Benidorm is once again a pioneer, marking a new milestone in drone navigation,” he added.

The mayor also conveyed the municipal desire to “continue advancing and supporting these new navigation systems”, which is why Toni Pérez himself, on behalf of Benidorm City Council, and Victoria Jing Xiang, COO of the EHang operator for Europe and LatAm, have signed a collaboration agreement to continue developing projects together in the future.

Victoria Jing Xiang highlighted that this first flight of an air taxi in Europe together with other unmanned aircraft represents a great step forward in the integration of unmanned aerial systems in urban environments: “The successful operation of our most emblematic aircraft, the EH216-S, in coordination with multiple drones under a U-space system, demonstrates the viability of safe, efficient and sustainable urban air mobility solutions. We are delighted to participate and contribute our technology to the U-ELCOME project and to collaborate with the city of Benidorm and the Polytechnic University of Valencia to promote the future of air transport”.

“For the first time, the simultaneous operation of drones with an air taxi has been possible in a safe manner with multiple U-space Service Providers (USSP): ENAIRE, ITG and the UAB,” added Gonzalo Alonso, Head of the Commercial Division and International Business Development of ENAIRE, and leader of the Spanish cluster of U-ELCOME.

The aerial demonstration carried out today in Benidorm, led by the Universitat Politècnica de València, has been possible thanks to the public-private collaboration and the coordinated work between the UPV, EHang, Benidorm City Council, EUROCONTROL, ENAIRE, the State Agency for Air Safety (AESA), the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, the Technological Institute of Galicia (ITG) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the National Police of Alicante, the PEGASO team of the Civil Guard, the Autonomous Police of the Valencian Community, the Customs Unit of Alicante, the Firefighters of the Valencia City Council, Telefónica, UAV Works and the Local Police of Benidorm, Cullera, Finestrat, Jávea and Valencia, and the participation of the local audiovisual company Mediterra Cinema in the aerial recording with a drone of the event.

 Project to safe drone integration

The U-ELCOME project will conclude at the end of this year and is essential to promote the safe integration of drones through the use of U-space services and contributes to laying the foundations for a future of more connected and sustainable cities.

To this end, all project partners have been working for three years on the development and validation of drone airspace management services in urban environments to enable operations and applications in cities that would otherwise not be possible.

What do we need to see air taxis in our cities?

According to Israel Quintanilla, the implementation of air taxis in our cities, although it is getting closer, still has to overcome different aspects related to regulation and infrastructure, as well as social acceptance.

“Air taxis, as a new paradigm of air transport, require specific regulation, which is currently being developed in Europe. In addition, new physical infrastructures are needed to enable the operations of this type of aircraft, such as vertiports – areas specifically designed for landing and takeoff of these aircraft – as well as a design and urban plans for cities that allow these operations, and of course, all of this under the umbrella of airspace management systems: U-space, which enables the flight of drones in a coordinated and safe manner,” said Quintanilla.

In addition, the UPV professor stressed that “we must continue working so that society can see the benefits of drones. Demonstrations such as the one carried out in Benidorm help to improve the perception and assessment that citizens have of this technology.”

On behalf of ENAIRE, Gonzalo Alonso has stated that the integration of passenger transport air taxis into the airspace must comply with the same safety criteria as commercial aviation, and that “we are experiencing an important digital transformation that will allow the operation of unmanned air taxis using U-space systems alongside traditional aviation.” For this reason, ENAIRE participates in many European projects related to Innovative Air Mobility (IAM), a concept created by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency).