During the night of July 8-9, the first test flights using drones to transport goods from Malpensa Airport’s Cargo City to Barbarini & Foglia’s logistics warehouse were conducted. These flights utilized drones with vertical take-off and landing capabilities and did not interfere with manned aviation operations at Malpensa Airport.
Technosky managed the operations using the NIMBUS cargo drone, which performed an 8 km round trip twice, carrying a small payload. Additional flights are planned tonight from the same starting point to the SEBI logistics warehouse, covering a 7 km round trip. These test flights will continue into autumn 2024, operated by Telespazio with Dronus and other partners as part of the Italian Demonstration Cluster coordinated by ENAV.
Innovative Air Mobility with Drone Technology
The goal of these flight trials is to test drone-based transport, known as Innovative Air Mobility, using U-space U1 and U2 services provided by D-flight. These trials from Malpensa’s Cargo City could pave the way for large-scale drone cargo delivery services in the future. This new transport method aims to optimize delivery times and reduce CO2 emissions by offering an alternative to road transport, promoting environmental sustainability and decarbonization.
These objectives are central to the European project U-ELCOME (U-space European Common Deployment), coordinated by the EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub (EIH) as part of the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Digital Sky Demonstrator initiative. This initiative is co-funded by the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program, with SEA Milan Airports acting as the Coordinator of the Milan Sandbox.
Collaboration and Future Prospects
SEA Milan Airports is collaborating with various Italian partners, including ENAV, D-flight, EuroUSC Italia, Telespazio, Technosky, and Dronus, in planning and developing the flight campaigns. They are also working with ENAC for regulatory aspects, flight authorizations, and implementing the Milan Sandbox.
The successful test flights mark a significant step towards integrating drone technology into logistics and transport, potentially transforming how goods are delivered. For further information about this project and its progress, visit SEA Milan Airports and EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub.
These initial flights demonstrate the potential of drones in cargo transport, highlighting a future where drone deliveries could become commonplace, offering faster, more sustainable options for goods transportation.
Stay updated on this exciting development by following ENAV’s updates and D-flight’s news.
