Murzilli Consulting therefore provides end-to-end support toboth traditional and advanced aviation organisations including strategy, regulations, authority engagement,technology, and policy. 

Why is the industry moving from static to Dynamic Airspace Management? 

Traditional airspace management relied on fixed structures and static civil-military segregation, with certain areas reserved, restricted, or avoided according to predefined plans. This approach worked when traffic volume and patterns were more stable, and the diversity of airspace users was lower than today. While this has evolved in recent years in various regions of the world thanks to concepts like Flexible Use ofAirspace (FUA), advanced aviation now requires a more adaptable and agile model. 

Dynamic Airspace Management allows airspace to be allocated, released, configured, and reconfigured based on expected operational demand, safety requirements, mission needs, and real-time or near-real-time data. By connecting Dynamic Airspace Configuration, Dynamic Mobile Areas, Demand-Capacity Balancing, and Collaborative Decision-Making, airspace becomes a much more efficient and flexible operational resource. 

For operators of UAS, eVTOL, and HAPS, this can make the difference between theoretical innovation in aviation and actual operational scalability, especially where advanced air mobility corridors and drone delivery business models cannot scale if every operation is treated as an exception. 

What is the hidden challenge behind airspace scarcity? 

It's important to note that airspace scarcity doesn't always refer to physical space. It can stem from a lack of operational solutions, technological solutions,  regulatory development, or a combination thereof. 

Rafael explains that this primarily affects commercial aviation, and by extension, uncrewed aviation. This is particularly evident in Central Europe and other regions of the world, and is becoming increasingly apparent in the terminal manoeuvring area (TMA) around major international airports. It also creates a ripple effect on low- and medium-altitude UAS operations, which must be coordinated by air traffic service providers in already congested controlled airspace. For UAS operators, the problem often lies less in airspace availability and more in the capacity of air traffic services to manage demand.  

EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data also shows that capacity pressure is not evenly distributed. The five most penalising area control centres (ACCs) generated 47.1% of total en-route air traffic flow management (ATFM) delay in 2025, despite accounting for only 13.2% of controlled flight hours. This supports Rafael’s point that the challenge is not always physical airspace availability, but the capacity of the air traffic management (ATM) system to manage demand where it is most concentrated. 

For operators, authorities, and service providers, the challenge typically manifests in four ways: 

Therefore, putting a drone business idea into practice can be a long and complex process when the operation is novel or not fully covered by existing regulations or procedures. The main obstacle is usually the time required to assess legal compliance, obtain authorisations, and safely integrate the operation into the current use of airspace. Some coordination and processing times may exceed one year, especially when the operation is new, complex, or has not yet been considered previously by the competent authorities. 

This is where Murzilli Consulting makes a difference in the sector, as it has extensive experience in innovative, large-scale international operations, and professionals from Operators, Authorities, and ANSPs who have participated in the design, definition, and execution of operational improvements, tools, and specific regulations. 

Why is air risk becoming more complex? 

The integration of uncrewed aviation is altering the risk profile of the airspace system. Low-altitude airspace is becoming more active with small and medium-sized UAS operations, including business models for policing, emergency services, public agencies, infrastructure inspection, and drone delivery. At the same time, airspace above flight level 500 (FL500) is attracting HAPS, including stratospheric balloon operations. 

Rafael has observed increased complexity in low-altitude airspace during his work supporting the integration of UAS and HAPS, particularly in Spain, which representsa significant number of routine BVLOS drone operations worldwide. 

This complexity stems from several interrelated factors: 

Airborne risk identification and management addresses these issues through risk assessments, collision probability analysis, assessment of adjacent airspace, mitigation strategies, flight authorisations, and coordination with civil and military stakeholders. The Murzilli Team applies SORA and also contributes regulatory, procedural, airspace, and competent authority knowledge in cases where the methodology alone is insufficient. Murzilli Consulting proposes safe integration strategies going beyond the current SORA framework, working collaboratively with authorities to develop the sector and help expand use cases and business models. 

For UAS operators conducting "complex" operations, this is often crucial. Risk analysis and mitigation are not just a requirement for obtaining operating authorisations. They determine whether the route, altitude, contingency plan, communications architecture, and operational assumptions are acceptable for practical implementation. 

Why does airspace digitalisation depend on trusted data? 

Dynamic airspace management relies on data, but not all data can be used in the same way. Connected aircraft technology, real-time telemetry, application programming interface (API)-based services, Remote Identification (RID), Electronic Conspicuity, System Wide Information Management (SWIM), meteorological data, and UTM platforms can all improve situational awareness.  

However, as these systems become less dependent on human decision-making, safety- and efficiency-critical decisions must rely increasingly on verified and standardised aeronautical data. 

Rafael's position is clear: certified or official data, such as that defined by ICAO, national Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs), meteorological information from official sources, or data from communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) and ATM systems, is the only verified, consistent, and reliable information on which to base operational decisions. The remaining information, although it may be very useful, must be verified and processed before being integrated into decision-making. 

Murzilli Consulting helps clients recognise and connect to reliable official sources of aeronautical, meteorological, and other data. At the same time, it supports the controlled integration of emerging or insufficiently regulated or validated data sources required by uncrewed aviation. This includes cybersecurity, data management, and data protection considerations, including those associated with digital services such as Remote ID, as well as test environments and the integration of safety management. This enables operators to move from reactive decision-making to predictive safety management. 

Why do contingency procedures matter for uncrewed operations? 

One of the most critical aspects of airspace management is contingency planning. For low and medium-height BVLOS, HAPS, and eVTOL aircraft, a technical degradation in flight cannot be considered a situation to be resolved just tactically. It must undergo an operational safety analysis, apply appropriate mitigations, and be integrated into the operator's manual, ensuring that the degraded situation does not become an emergency. Risks and mitigations arising from ATM/CNS and UTM services must also be considered. 

For certain complex operations, the quality of contingency procedures can determine whether the operation is viable and authorised, or whether the business model must be abandoned. 

This is what differentiates our consulting from simply preparing documents. Consulting for regulatory approval involves designing an operation that can withstand regulatory, technical, and safety scrutiny.

How does Murzilli Consulting support airspace design and management? 

Airspace design criteria and flight procedures for UAS are increasingly being considered as highly effective tools to facilitate and accelerate the integration of uncrewed aviation. Murzilli Consulting has already begun applying both its expertise in flight procedure design and the SORA methodology to operations involving small UAS, HAPS, eVTOL, and vertiports. 

Murzilli Consulting's airspace design and management services are organised into four main areas: 

The goal is to transform complex regulatory frameworks with practical, future-proof operational strategies that comply with current regulations and are scalable in the long term. 

Why do EU U-space and CISP/USSP certification matter? 

The EU U-space is fundamental to the future of uncrewed aviation in Europe. Common information service providers (CISPs) and U-space service providers (USSPs) form part of this ecosystem, as they provide theinfrastructurefor integrating UAS operations through digital services designed to meet the needs of uncrewed aviation, such as geolocation, traffic information, remote identification, strategic conflict resolution, and more. 

For drone delivery and advanced air mobility business models in general, this framework facilitates the transition of operations from isolated approvals to a more scalable integration, which will eventually also be integrated with ATM itself. 

This trend is particularly relevant in Europe, whichMarketsandMarketsidentifies as the fastest-growing region in the global air traffic management market, supported by regulatory initiatives, the Single European Sky initiative, airspace modernisation, digitalisation, automation and cross-border airspace integration. 

At Murzilli Consulting, we support both authorities and uncrewed airspace and aviation stakeholders with regulatory consulting, service definition, stakeholder management, operational conditions, safety protocols, and certification support within the UTM framework. 

Rafael describes UTM regulatory consulting as a way to transform regulatory compliance into a competitive advantage, helping providers manage complex regulations from the outset. By defining use cases that align with regulatory expectations and business objectives, customers can advance in approval readiness, reduce risks, and develop more scalable business operating models. 

Who needs airspace consulting supportservices? 

Airspace design and management support is fundamental across the entire advanced aviation value chain. 

UAS operators often require support for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights, implementing complex or non-standard air navigationprocedures, or obtaining advanced operating authorisations (SORA or beyond), often related to flight scaling, for example. 

eVTOL and AAM developers and operators may also need support to develop or adapt operational concepts, plan compliant corridors, design and certify vertiports*, conduct airborne risk assessments, implement cybersecurity regulations, and explore scalable regulatory pathways. 

For their part, ANSPs and authorities may require support for defining, developing, and implementing UTM airspace, applying dynamic airspace concepts, and, in some cases, civil-military coordination, UTM certification, airspace digitisation, and modernisation strategies. 

The same applies to organisations that develop training programmes. The drone and crewed aviation training at Murzilli Consulting is based on the expertise of highly experienced staff, some of whom come from senior positions in the CAA, ANSPs, and industry, which helps clients clearly and accurately understand ATM-UTM integration, unmanned aviation, operational approvals, and the drone ecosystem in general. 

Why is airspace management service now a competitive advantage? 

The future of aviation will not be defined solely by better aircraft, better drones, or better software. It will be defined by the ability to integrate these technologies into shared airspace safely, efficiently, equitably, and at scale. 

This requires more than regulatory knowledge. It requires airspace designand management expertise, experience on the regulatory side, operational understanding, risk methodology, digital infrastructure, and the ability to translate complex frameworks into practical operational models. 

The business case is significant. EUROCONTROL estimated that justen-route ATFM delays cost airspace users around €2.4 billion in 2025, despite an improvement compared with 2024. Of course, not all of them are due to airspace management—such as labour or weather-related issues, for example. For authorities, ANSPs, and operators, this reinforces the value of airspace management as a performance, resilience, and cost-efficiency issue. 

For authorities, ANSPs, unmanned aerial system operators, HAPS, eVTOL developers, aspiring unmanned aerial service providers, and stakeholders in advanced air mobility, airspace management has become a key strategic factor. 

Ready to assess your airspace strategy?  

Contact Murzilli Consulting to discuss how its airspace management, airspace and  flight procedure design (FPD) services, drone consulting and aviation regulatory experts can support your next operation, certification or modernisation project. 

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