The rapid growth of the drone industry brings forth substantial social and economic benefits, but it also introduces challenges related to the escalating number of drones in our airspace. The complexity of drone operations raises concerns encompassing safety, security, privacy, environmental impact, and more. Addressing these concerns, the implementation of U-space might be a potential solution.

AirHub Consultancy conducted a study on behalf of the Municipality of Amsterdam which is the first step towards developing a plan for the roll-out of U-space above Amsterdam. With the development of U-space above Amsterdam and a potential roll-out, the Municipality of Amsterdam will become a frontrunner at (inter)national level when it comes to the safe integration of drones in the city to enable (new) social and commercial applications.

Objectives

The main objective of the project was to describe the process of implementing U-space airspace above Amsterdam, to identify the potential roles of the municipality and to make a first step with setting up the U-space Airspace Risk Assessment. 

About the Municipality of Amsterdam 

The Municipality of Amsterdam covers the city of Amsterdam as well as a number of small towns. With the growing number of drones, the municipality founded a public-private network organization; Amsterdam Drone Lab (ADL) to adequately organize the sustainable and safe integration of drones in the city of tomorrow. ADL is constantly looking for cooperation in sustainable and safe applications for unmanned aviation. ADL takes the lead in shaping drone policies within the city and devising urban layouts that facilitate unmanned flights. AirHub Consultancy is partner within this network. Discover another success story showcasing our collaboration with ADL.

Exploring U-space above Amsterdam

Amsterdam wants to integrate drones above the city in a safe and manageable way. U-space can be a means for this. However, this requires proper preparation, in which the municipality can play a central role in the designation of U-space airspace. This exploration includes the formulation of the reasons for designating U-space airspace over Amsterdam and a first step towards performing a U-space Airspace Risk Assessment. 

Reasons for U-space

There are various reasons for Amsterdam to explore the added value U-space offers and therefore reasons to designate U-space. These reasons can be divided into different categories, namely: safety, security, privacy, environment, social and economic. Together with the municipality, we identified the main drivers for Amsterdam to explore the designation of U-space. 

Coordinating the U-space designation

After a request to designate U-space has officially been approved by the competent authority, thereby establishing the so-called Coordination Mechanism, the Municipality of Amsterdam must determine its role. It should be possible for a government, authority or entity to fulfill multiple roles and responsibilities within this mechanism. It is important to guarantee independence, for example by separating departments or teams within the entity. The Municipality of Amsterdam can therefore take on one or more roles during the U-space designation process. AirHub Consultancy identified the different roles and responsibilities of the initiator, U-space coordinator, member of the assessment team but also as a local stakeholder. This will form the basis of moving forward to establishing U-space and particularly the role of the municipality. 

U-space Airspace Risk Assessment

AirHub Consultancy also elaborated the hearing process and started working on a high-level U-space Airspace Risk Assessment. The risk assessment starts with the preparation before moving to the reference scenario and assessment. During the study, the potential of drones has been mapped out and elaborated in a first version of a Concept of Operations. The risks have been identified with a view to this future situation in the airspace above Amsterdam. It follows that without a structured approach, and the eventual roll-out of an air traffic control system such as U-space as a mitigating measure, drones above the city can potentially cause nuisance and danger. The careful development and implementation of U-space is therefore seen as a suitable means of reducing the potential risks to an acceptable level.  

In 2024 AirHub will further explore the potential of U-space with ADL. Stay tuned! Do you want to know more about this case or U-space in general? Contact our U-space consultant Toby Enzerink via toby@airhub.nl