Without vertiports, there can be no take-offs or landings
The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) is leading the charge towards transforming Europe's air traffic management through innovative research and development. As the public-private partnership responsible for coordinating all EU research in air traffic management, SESAR JU is at the forefront of modernizing European airspace. One of its most groundbreaking initiatives is the EUREKA project, launched to establish a network of vertiports and integrate electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft into urban air mobility (UAM).
The EUREKA project, initiated in 2023 with a budget of €12 million, is a key element in SESAR JU’s long-term strategy for airspace modernization. Led by EUROCONTROL, the project aims to ensure that urban landscapes can accommodate advanced air mobility solutions. Vertiports, specialized hubs for eVTOL aircraft, are essential for connecting urban areas with eco-friendly transportation alternatives. However, beyond just building physical infrastructure, EUREKA focuses on developing operational procedures, traffic management solutions, and emergency protocols to safely manage this new breed of urban aviation.
Iliyana Simeonova, EUREKA’s project manager at EUROCONTROL, emphasized that without vertiports, there can be no take-offs or landings for the eVTOL aircraft that promise to revolutionize air transport. EUREKA is therefore tasked with creating a robust vertiport ecosystem from the ground up, while addressing challenges such as the lack of historical precedent for such infrastructure in Europe and the need for harmonization with legacy air traffic management (ATM) systems.
Collaborative effort
EUREKA’s success relies on collaboration between a wide range of participants, from airports and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) to UAM manufacturers and technology innovators. The project’s 35 partners play crucial roles in realizing a scalable and adaptable vertiport network across Europe. Notable participants include Eurocontrol, Volocopter, Aeroporti Di Roma, and D-Flight, alongside several national air navigation entities like ENAV and Enaire.
Unifly, a leading provider of Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) solutions, holds a pivotal role in integrating vertiports into the broader UAM ecosystem. The company’s UTM platform will validate collaborative traffic management systems in live demonstrations scheduled between now and December 2025. These tests will take place between the islands of Mallorca and Menorca, leveraging operational airports to simulate real-world conditions for eVTOL operations.
Further contributing to the project are technology leaders like Leonardo and Indra Sistemas, who focus on refining air traffic and vertiport disruption management systems, as well as ensuring that vertiport networks can manage traffic capacity efficiently. Boeing Aerospace Spain and Lilium also bring expertise in the design of airspace and aircraft technologies, while DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) and the Alliance for New Mobility Europe provide strategic insights into the regulatory and operational challenges of urban air mobility.
Foundation
The EUREKA project is poised to make urban air mobility a reality by 2026. As the first SESAR JU initiative to extend air traffic management frameworks specifically for vertiport stakeholders, EUREKA is breaking new ground. By harmonizing vertiports with traditional ATM systems and developing standards for managing airspace disruptions and emergencies, the project is not only setting the stage for the future of air transport but also ensuring safety and scalability. Through collaborative efforts between industry leaders and regulatory bodies, EUREKA will lay the foundation for an interconnected, sustainable, and efficient urban air mobility network across Europe.
