U-ELCOME and Eurocontrol Publish U-space Handbook: 70 Lessons That Could Accelerate BVLOS Operations Across Europe

After three years and more than 1,000 drone flights across France, Italy, and Spain, the U-ELCOME consortium has distilled its operational experience into a single document that could reshape how European nations approach U-space deployment. The U-space Implementation Handbook arrives at a moment when the gap between U-space theory and practical implementation has never been more visible.

Here’s what drone operators and UTM stakeholders need to know:

• The Development: The U-ELCOME project, a SESAR Digital Sky Demonstrator led by Eurocontrol Innovation Hub and co-funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under the Connecting Europe Facility, has published the U-space Implementation Handbook.

• The Content: The handbook consolidates 70 lessons learned and recommendations from real-world U-space deployments, paired with six technical appendices covering everything from foundational concepts to operational details.

• The Context: U-ELCOME successfully implemented initial U-space services in controlled and uncontrolled airspace, deploying multiple U-space Service Providers (USSPs) in a single location to validate interoperability.

• The Source: The handbook draws from U-ELCOME’s own flights plus contributions from fellow Digital Sky Demonstrators BURDI and ÉALÚ-AER, along with input from national authorities, air navigation service providers, and commercial drone operators.

U-ELCOME produced a practical guide, not another policy document

The U-space Implementation Handbook is a practical reference document designed to help aviation authorities, U-space Service Providers, air navigation service providers, and drone operators implement U-space services based on lessons from actual European deployments. The handbook does not replace regulatory documents and is not a formal description of any SESAR Solution. Instead, it compiles experience gained both within and outside the U-ELCOME project to help stakeholders operate safely within U-space airspace.

According to Marina Jiménez Navarta, UAS/U-space Specialist at Eurocontrol and co-author of the handbook, the goal was never to create another theoretical policy document. “Our main objective was to develop a handy and pleasant-to-read document that serves as a practical guide for anyone interested in, or working on, U-space implementation,” Jiménez Navarta stated.

The document is structured for readers with varying levels of knowledge and involvement in U-space. For stakeholders still in early research phases, it provides an introduction to U-space concepts and implications. For those already integrating UAS into airspace but not yet fully implementing U-space, it offers a baseline and reference point. For organizations already involved in certification or U-space designation processes, the handbook shows how others approached similar challenges.

Three years of flights produced actionable intelligence

The U-ELCOME project validated U-space deployment through more than 1,000 drone flights across France, Italy, and Spain, operating in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace. The project deployed multiple U-space Service Providers at single locations to test whether providers could operate together and interoperate without creating conflicts or confusion for operators.

This matters because the European approach to drone integration depends on a competitive market of USSPs. If providers cannot interoperate, the entire regulatory framework fails. The U-ELCOME demonstrations proved the concept works in practice, not just in theory.

The handbook builds on this foundation by documenting what worked, what failed, and what required adjustment. Previous DroneXL coverage of U-ELCOME’s urban drone trials in Zaragoza, Spain showed multiple autonomous drones operating simultaneously over the Ebro River for search and rescue simulations and medical delivery scenarios. Those flights fed directly into the lessons now compiled in the handbook.

The handbook addresses Europe’s fragmented U-space rollout

U-space implementation across Europe has been uneven. According to SESAR JU figures from late 2025, the continent had only three approved common information service providers, three U-space service providers, and 30 U-space airspace candidates. The handbook directly targets this bottleneck by preventing each member state from reinventing the wheel.

The six technical appendices provide specific implementation guidance that goes beyond the high-level recommendations in the main document. This granular detail is what operators and authorities need to move from planning to execution.

Tânia Cardoso Simões, Aviation Transformation Director at Eurocontrol, which led U-ELCOME, made the next steps clear at the project’s conclusion event: “We must now focus on expanding U-space deployment across more Member States and ensuring interoperability and consistency in service provision.”

The handbook is designed to accelerate that expansion by giving new implementers a roadmap based on what the early adopters already learned.

BURDI and ÉALÚ-AER contributions add geographic and operational diversity

The handbook is not solely based on U-ELCOME’s work in France, Italy, and Spain. The BURDI project contributed lessons from Belgium, including BVLOS drone flights between hospital sites in the Kempen region that reduced ground transport times from around 30 minutes to under 13 minutes. ÉALÚ-AER added insights from Ireland, including surveys on social acceptance of innovative air mobility and skills gap analysis for future workforce needs.

This multi-project approach means the handbook reflects a broader range of operational environments than any single demonstrator could provide. Medical logistics, port operations, urban environments, and cross-border scenarios all fed into the final document.

The collaborative nature of the handbook also reflects the broader SESAR ecosystem. Projects like SPATIO, which demonstrated collision avoidance and separation management in Romania, and ENSURE, which is developing standardized interfaces between U-space and traditional air traffic management systems, all operate within the same EU-funded research framework and share findings.

The handbook has clear limitations that operators should understand

The 70 lessons in this handbook are recommendations, not mandates. Aviation remains a national competency within the EU, and despite the handbook’s guidance, Italy, France, and Spain continue to have different fee structures, insurance requirements, and approval processes. A voluntary handbook cannot fix legislative fragmentation.

The actual number of certified U-space airspaces in Europe remains small compared to the regulatory vision. Three approved USSPs and 30 airspace candidates across an entire continent is progress, but it is far from the comprehensive coverage that commercial BVLOS operations require.

There is also a fundamental distinction that gets lost in discussions about U-space and airspace security. U-space is designed for cooperative drones, meaning aircraft that want to be seen, tracked, and managed. Recent incidents at Munich Airport and Danish airports involved non-cooperative actors, whether military reconnaissance platforms or unidentified intruders that had no intention of registering with a USSP. The EU’s “drone wall” defense initiative addresses that threat through counter-UAS systems with radar, jammers, and interceptors. U-space and C-UAS are complementary but distinct capabilities.

DroneXL’s Take

This handbook is the first real attempt to codify what works in U-space implementation, and it comes from organizations that have actually flown drones under U-space rules, not just written regulations about them. That distinction matters.

The European approach to drone integration has always been more structured than the American model. While the FAA released its 650-page BVLOS proposal and continues to debate implementation, European operators are already logging flights under certified U-space service providers. The gap is widening.

But I want to be clear about what this handbook can and cannot do. It provides a roadmap for countries and organizations that want to implement U-space. It does not solve the political fragmentation that keeps EU member states operating under different fee structures and approval timelines. And it does nothing to stop the non-cooperative drone threats that have been shutting down airports across Europe. Those require kinetic and electronic warfare solutions, not service provider coordination.

The 70 lessons in this handbook represent expensive knowledge. Thousands of flight hours, multiple regulatory negotiations, and three years of operational testing produced these recommendations. Any EU member state that ignores this resource and tries to build its own U-space implementation from scratch is wasting time and money.

I expect we will see at least three to five additional EU member states advance to U-space airspace designation within the next six months, partly accelerated by this handbook. Norway is already planning full commercial U-space operations in 2026, and Italy just opened public comment on draft U-space regulation. The pipeline is moving, but the gap between demonstration projects and continent-wide commercial operations remains substantial.

For American operators and regulators watching from across the Atlantic, this handbook is a preview of where integrated airspace management is heading. The lessons Europe learns now will influence global standards later.

For more information

The U-space Implementation Handbook is available for download from SESAR JU.

Editorial Note: This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI to ensure technical accuracy and archive retrieval. All insights, industry analysis, and perspectives were provided exclusively by Haye Kesteloo and our other DroneXL authors, editors, and YouTube partners to ensure the “Human-First” perspective our readers expect.

Last update on 2026-01-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API