Nov. 4, 2026

As drones begin to play a bigger role in areas such as emergency response, infrastructure inspection, logistics and other public-interest services, Europe is continuing to put in place the conditions needed to manage these operations safely and efficiently. The publication of the 5th edition of the U-space Concept of Operations (CONOPS) by the SESAR Joint Undertaking’s CORUS Five project, is part of that effort, providing an updated reference for how drone flights can be organised in increasingly busy airspace. 

U-space is the European framework for enabling safe and efficient drone operations. It combines designated airspace, digital services and operational procedures to allow uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operators to plan, authorise and conduct flights, while ensuring safe coexistence with other airspace users. 

This matters because drone use is moving beyond isolated operations and towards more routine services in real environments. For public authorities, service providers and citizens, that means ensuring that increasing numbers of flights can be handled in a way that is safe, transparent and predictable. 

The CONOPS provides a technical blueprint of how this can work in practice. It describes the operational environment for U-space, the services and procedures needed to support flights, the roles and responsibilities of the different actors, and the interaction with air traffic services and manned aviation. In this way, it helps create a common understanding among those responsible for implementing U-space across Europe. 

U-space has been a focus of SESAR JU’s research and innovation since 2015, following the EU Aviation Strategy and the Warsaw Declaration on drones. The adoption of the EU Drone Strategy 2.0 in 2022 set out a bold vision for the future of unmanned aviation in Europe, while the first U-space regulations, which entered into force in 2023, provided the regulatory and operational framework to safely introduce drones into European airspace. In less than a decade, U-space has moved from a strategic objective to concrete implementation, backed by the EASA regulatory framework. First services are now being deployed, enabling safe and efficient drone operations in real environments.