Drones and Innovative Air Mobility: vision, strategies, and best practices to unlock the full potential of the European ecosystem

Free Content Report Drones and Advanced Air Mobility May 2026 45 pages pdf

What you will learn

The report describes the development of the European drone and Innovative Air Mobility & Delivery (IAM&D) ecosystem through a structured comparison of various national contexts.

Research revolves around three complementary key questions: (i) why the market evolves differently across countries subject to the same regulation; (ii) how different regulatory frameworks may influence the sector’s development within each national context; (iii) what are the main enabling factors and barriers to the implementation and adoption of drone services in European Smart Cities.

Table of Contents

1
The global market: Innovative Aerial Services projects and regulatory best practices
2
The European market: heterogeneity in the development of use cases and best practices
3
European Smart Cities: use cases and potential
4
Ensuring the growth and competitiveness of the European ecosystem: best practices and lessons learned

Index of Graphs

1
The global market: IAS projects at the international level
2
The European market: country-specific characteristics
3
European Smart Cities: use cases with the most added value for municipalities
4
Ensuring the growth and competitiveness of the European ecosystem: barriers and enabling factors for development

You will know how to answer these key questions

What is the current state of development of Innovative Aerial Services (IAS) projects at the international level?
What lessons learned can be drawn from non-European regulatory frameworks that could be transposed to the European context?
How is the drone and Innovative Air Mobility & Delivery (IAM&D) ecosystem evolving in Europe, and what differences are emerging between countries subject to EASA regulation?
What is the position of European municipalities regarding the potential of this technology within their Smart City strategies? What factors are hindering its implementation?
What are the main drivers of competitiveness within the European ecosystem, and what best practices have emerged in some countries?

The methodology used in this Report

The results presented are the outcome of two different research methodologies:

approximately 30 interviews with European drone and IAM&D associations, non-EU regulatory authorities, and European municipalities, carried out in collaboration with JEDA (Joint European Drone Associations), JARUS (Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems) and EUROCONTROL;
A non-exhaustive census aimed at identifying the main projects in the drone and IAM&D sectors and their characteristics, covering the period from 01/01/2019 to 31/12/2025, based on the analysis of 69 industry-specific and general-interest newspapers.

Authors