ENAIRE joins European VERTI-GO project to accelerate the safe integration of air taxis and cargo drones

ENAIRE, Spain's national air navigation service provider, is participating in the European VERTI-GO (Vertical Operations Ready to GO) project, a new R&D&I initiative funded by the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking. Its goal is to develop and validate the procedures, services and technologies required to safely integrate advanced air mobility aircraft, such as electric air taxis and cargo drones, into European airspace. 

Led by Honeywell Aerospace, the project brings together a consortium of 12 European partners, including air navigation service providers, airports, aircraft manufacturers, operators and research centres, to address the operational challenges of introducing these new aircraft into complex and congested traffic environments. Partners include ENAIRE, NATS, EUROCONTROL, Aena, CRIDA, Rizeni Letoveho Provozu Ceske Republiky Statni Podnik (Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic), Frequentis, ITG, Vertical Aerospace, ODYS Aviation and Aerosolutions.

Safe air traffic management

As Spain's national air navigation service provider and a key player in the development of the Digital European Sky, ENAIRE will contribute its expertise in air traffic management and in integrating new types of air operations into airspace shared by conventional aviation and advanced air mobility.

As part of VERTI-GO's industrial research, ENAIRE will help design and validate new operational concepts that enable crewed aircraft, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), cargo drones and conventional air traffic to operate safely alongside one another. The project will examine areas including digital flight planning, process automation, vertiport and alternative landing site management, and coordination between advanced air mobility operators and air traffic controllers. 

ENAIRE will also play a leading role in demonstrations of electric air taxi operations planned for southern Spain in 2028. These will assess air traffic management procedures, digital services and operations linked to future advanced air mobility corridors between Málaga and Marbella.

ENAIRE and the development of U-space in Spain

Participation in VERTI-GO reinforces ENAIRE's commitment to deploying U-space, the set of digital services and procedures designed by the European Commission to manage drone operations safely, efficiently and automatically in high-traffic-density environments.

U-space is one of the key foundations for the future integration of advanced air mobility in Europe, as it will support essential services such as remote aircraft identification, strategic flight management, traffic information and dynamic coordination between operators and authorities.
Drawing on the experience gained through other SESAR programme projects and national drone-integration initiatives, ENAIRE is actively helping to build the European ecosystem that will enable routine air taxi and drone operations.

VERTI-GO will include simulations and real-world demonstrations that will inform future European standards, procedures and regulations, supporting the deployment of the Digital European Sky and the safe integration of these new aircraft.

CISP certification

ENAIRE continues to make progress towards certification by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) as a Common Information Service Provider (CISP), a key role under the European U-space regulatory framework. 

The CISP service is responsible for providing and exchanging common, reliable information between U-space service providers, air navigation service providers, the competent authorities and unmanned aircraft operators. This ability to bring information together is essential to ensure safe, coordinated and interoperable operations in future U-space environments.

About VERTI-GO

VERTI-GO (Grant Agreement No. 101287356) is an industrial research project funded by the European Union through the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, with an EU contribution of EUR 4.99 million towards a total budget of EUR 6.77 million. The initiative, which focuses on the strategic areas of U-space and urban air mobility, will run from June 2026 to May 2029 and support the safe integration of electric air taxis and cargo drones into European airspace. The 12-partner European consortium will conduct simulations and operational demonstrations at locations across Europe, including Spain.