Tokyo, July 31, 2025 – Terra Drone Corporation, a leading drone and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology company headquartered in Japan, is pleased to announce that its group company and a global leader in UAS Traffic Management (UTM) solutions, Unifly has successfully led a technical validation and demonstration of integrated vertiport management under the European joint project “EUREKA (hereinafter referred to as “the project”),” which aims to realize the societal implementation of next-generation air mobility.
About the EUREKA Project (Note 1)
The project is an international joint initiative aimed at establishing an air traffic management and information-sharing framework compliant with the U-space (Note 2) regulation, and at developing operational standards for vertiports in anticipation of the societal implementation of next-generation air mobility.
The project is led by the SESAR Joint Undertaking(Note 3), a European collaborative research organization, and involves participation from 35 companies and institutions, including AENA (Spain’s airport operator), ENAIRE (Spain’s air navigation service provider), and EUROCONTROL (the European air traffic management organization).
At the core of the project is the development and validation of a Vertiport Collaborative Traffic Management system (VCTM) (Note 4). The VCTM system is designed to enable real-time sharing and coordination of operational information, such as scheduled takeoffs and landings or emergency responses, among multiple stakeholders involved in eVTOL operations.
Unifly is participating in the EUREKA project as a U-space service provider (Note 5), applying its extensive expertise in UTM systems to the development and validation of the VCTM system.
Overview of the Demonstration
- Date: July 21–22, 2025
- Location: INDRA facility, Madrid, Spain
- Objective: To evaluate the validity and scalability of the VCTM system under simulated real-time operational conditions.
<Key Evaluation Items>
- Seamless Interoperability
Assess whether real-time and accurate information sharing and coordination can be achieved via the VCTM system among relevant stakeholders, including vertiport operators, U-space service providers, and common information service providers. - Safety and Efficiency
Verify whether the VCTM system can maintain safe and appropriate traffic management both during normal operations and in contingency scenarios such as communication failures, emergency responses, or traffic congestion. - Operator Support
Evaluate whether the VCTM system effectively supports operators in maintaining situational awareness and making informed decisions.
<Unifly’s Role>
As a U-space service provider, Unifly played a role in real-time information integration and coordination between vertiport operators and common information service providers. The company evaluated the effectiveness of the VCTM system from a technical perspective.
<Key Outcomes>
- Successfully demonstrated advanced interoperability among vertiport operators, U-space service providers, and common information service providers.
- Confirmed the system’s stability and ability to maintain operations during communication failures, emergency situations, and under high-traffic situations.
- Verified the effectiveness of the VCTM system in supporting informed and timely decision-making by operators.
Comment from the CEO
Andres Van Swalm, CEO of Unifly stated: As Innovative Aerial Mobility becomes a reality, ensuring the safe and efficient integration of drones and air taxis into shared airspace is critical. This simulation highlights how collaboration and interoperability between systems are key to building a scalable, trusted UTM infrastructure.
Future Outlook
This demonstration marked the culmination of the real-time simulation phase within the EUREKA project. The next step will be live demonstrations conducted in real-world operational environments. Unifly will continue to play a role as a core technology provider in the air mobility infrastructure field, contributing to the societal implementation of next-generation air mobility.
Editor’s Notes:
Note 1 Press release at the time of joining this project: https://terra-drone.net/global/2024/02/27/terra-drones-group-company-unifly-joins-eureka-project-advancing-urban-air-mobility-with-vertiport-integration-in-european-airspace/
Note 2 U-space: A European air traffic management concept, including the regulatory framework, designed to enable the safe and scalable integration of drones and AAM into shared airspace.
Note 3 SESAR Joint Undertaking: A public-private partnership established to implement the “SESAR” (Single European Sky ATM Research) program, aimed at modernizing Europe’s air traffic management systems.
Note 4 VCTM: Vertiport Collaborative Traffic Management.
Note 5 U-space Service Provider (USSP): An entity that delivers information and traffic management services to support the safe and compliant operation of drones and AAM under U-space regulations.
About Unifly NV
Unifly is a leading aviation tech company dedicated to enhancing the safety and efficiency of autonomous aviation with cutting-edge technology. The Unifly platform acts as a crucial bridge within the UAS ecosystem, enabling the safe and secure integration of next-generation aircraft into the airspace. By digitizing and automating traffic management and integrating seamlessly with drones and Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Unifly addresses the exponential growth in air traffic expected in the coming decades. The company has a proven track record of implementing more than ten commercial UTM deployments, establishing it as a world leader in this industry.
For more information, please visit the website at Unifly.aero or contact us at press@unifly.aero.
About Terra Drone Corporation
Terra Drone Corporation, headquartered in Japan, is a global leader in drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) solutions. Dedicated to the mission of “Unlock ‘X’ Dimensions”, the company is committed to creating a prosperous future by “crossing” bridges—integrating diverse fields to foster innovation and find solutions. Specializing in surveying, inspections, agriculture, and UAS Traffic Management (UTM), Terra Drone serves industries such as oil and gas, construction, chemicals, energy, and agriculture.
With a portfolio of over 3,000 completed projects worldwide, Terra Drone has achieved significant milestones in the drone operations field. In July 2023, the company acquired a majority stake in Unifly, a world-leading provider of UTM platform, with deployments in over eight countries, followed by an investment in U.S.-based Aloft Technologies in February 2024, further expanding its capabilities in UTM.Terra Drone was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Stock Code: 278A) on November 29, 2024. It also secured top spot in Global Drone Service Provider Rankings for 2024.
Recognized by Drone Industry Insights as one of the top three industrial drone service providers globally for five consecutive years, Terra Drone aims to build the digital infrastructure necessary to unlock the full potential of drones and AAM solutions. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.terra-drone.net
