Milan’s airport operator SEA has successfully conducted the first trial of electric drones with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) for cargo transportation.
The flight, which used the Nimbus drone from Techno Sky, carried a light load from Milan Malpensa Cargo smart city to the Barbarini & Foglia logistics warehouse, covering an 8km round trip.
This test was made possible thanks to the European U-ELCOME (U-space European COMmon dEpLoyment) project, in which SEA has the role of coordinator of the Milan Sandbox. The Sandbox is a physical or virtual controlled test environment where, after a dialog with the French civil aviation authority ENAC, challenging activities from a regulatory and technological point of view can be trialled over a set time period.
The project aims to test innovative solutions for cargo transportation using drones and contribute to developing U-space services, which are designed to ensure safe and efficient drone access to the airspace. This innovative transportation method will optimize delivery times for goods, reduce CO2 emissions and promote environmental sustainability.
Further flights operated by Telespazio with Dronus and other operators are scheduled for the autumn of 2024 as part of the Italian Demonstration Cluster, coordinated by Italian airspace operator ENAV.