Vertical Aerospace and Honeywell Aerospace have joined Project VERTI-GO, a European Union-funded initiative that aims to support the integration of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and cargo drones into European airspace.
EU Initiative for Advanced Air Mobility
The project brings together 12 industry and aviation partners and is funded through the European Union’s Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Joint Undertaking.
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Honeywell Aerospace engineers based in Brno, Czech Republic, are leading the program, while Vertical Aerospace will conduct eVTOL flight demonstrations between Malaga and Marbella, Spain, with trials expected to take place in 2028.
Project VERTI-GO is intended to establish operational procedures and supporting technologies needed for large-scale advanced air mobility operations across Europe.
Supporting Piloted Aircraft and Cargo Drones
The initiative focuses on two operational areas: piloted eVTOL aircraft and remotely operated cargo drone missions.
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Project participants will work on technologies and procedures covering digital flight planning, vertiport management, and automation tools designed to assist both aircraft operators and air traffic controllers.
The piloted demonstration flights in southern Spain will be monitored by aviation authorities as part of efforts to support future regulatory development.
In parallel, the project will also demonstrate SAIL-IV cargo drone operations, a European category covering more complex remotely piloted missions, at selected locations across Europe.
Broad Industry Collaboration
The consortium includes several organizations involved in European air traffic management and airport operations, including NATS, ENAIRE, Aena, EUROCONTROL, and cargo drone developer Odys Aviation.
Jolana Dvorská, Senior Technical Manager at Honeywell Aerospace, said the project is focused on determining how emerging aircraft types can operate safely and efficiently within Europe’s existing airspace infrastructure.
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Project VERTI-GO forms part of broader European efforts to develop the technologies, operational procedures and regulatory frameworks required to support future commercial advanced air mobility services.