The German government has announced a delivery drone trial over the Port of Hamburg. The U-space real-world laboratory is to field test drones over a 10 square km airspace.
At the German National Aviation Conference, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said, “We are now starting Germany’s first test field for a drone airspace in Hamburg and creating the conditions for the transport system of the future. In the U-Space real-world laboratory, we are testing in practice how drones and, in the future, air taxis can be safely and intelligently integrated into the airspace. Drones are a clean, fast and smart mobility solution, especially for logistics, as support for rescue workers or for supplying rural areas. With the U-Space real laboratory, we bring drone innovations made in Germany out of the niche and into the air.”
Drones will perform a range of functions including deliveries in the airspace, that extends up to 150 metres above the ground. The trial will initially focus on communication between drones and other airspace users as well as looking at how to organise airspace in which delivery drones operate.
The project is being undertaken by Droniq and its parent company, Deutsche Flugsicherung. Jan-Eric Putze, CEO of Droniq, explained, “Our mission is to integrate drones into the airspace as regular road users. Thanks to the U-Space, the full potential of drones can now also be used in urban areas within a given framework. This is a milestone for unmanned air traffic. We are proud to show for the first time what this future may look like.”