Air taxis, cargo delivery drones or unmanned systems for emergencies are just some of the services on the horizon with the advent of urban air mobility (UAM). AMU-LED, a newly started SESAR U-space demonstration project aims to trial a range of these mobility services over the next two years in a number of cities across Europe.

Funded within the framework of Horizon 2020, the project is one of the largest demonstrations of mobility services with air vehicles in urban environments to date. Several venues have been chosen in three different countries: Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Cranfield in the United Kingdom, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

More than 100 flight hours in urban areas

The exercises planned within AMU-LED include more than 100 flight hours combining different unmanned aerial systems and considering various scenarios, use cases and applications. These will consist of air taxi operations, cargo transport, delivery of goods and medical equipment, inspection of infrastructures, police surveillance and emergency services support.

Through real tests and simulations, the project will explore and demonstrate how to decongest roads, improve transportation of people and goods, reduce travel times, increase flexibility, cut pollution, and reduce traffic accidents.

Thanks to the data obtained from the different tests, AMU-LED is expected to provide invaluable information to regulatory authorities, such as the EASA. Ultimately the goal is to help support the regulatory framework in the urban air mobility field.

The power of collaboration

Coordinated by everis, the consortium is made up of a group of very prominent actors within the sector: Airbus, AirHub, Altitude Angel, ANRA Technologies, Boeing Research & Technology-Europe, FADA-CATEC, Cranfield University, EHang, ENAIRE, Gemeente Amsterdam, INECO, ITG, Jeppesen, NLR, Space53 and Tecnalia. The comprehensive and multi-disciplinary team of professionals at AMU-LED includes experts in air traffic solutions, simulation and drone operations, research technology centres, legislators and experts in tests and demonstrators.

A commitment to the evolution of air traffic management

AMU-LED is integral to the work of the SESAR Joint Undertaking on the digital transformation of air traffic management and the delivery of solutions in support of the European Commission's initiative for safe and secure drone operations, otherwise known as U-space.

This project has received funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101017702