European and Japanese experts deepen cooperation on U-space and innovative air mobility

European and Japanese experts deepen cooperation on U-space and innovative air mobility

The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) and Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) jointly organised a technical workshop in Tokyo on 1 and 2 June 2026, bringing together European and Japanese experts to exchange knowledge and experience on U-space, innovative air mobility and the integration of new airspace users into the aviation system.

The workshop brought together more than 50 experts from across Europe, representing research organisations, industry, air navigation service providers and EU institutions, including EUROCONTROL, Unifly, DLR, FREQUENTIS, SAFRAN, TOPVIEW, ENAIRE, CRIDA, alongside representatives from the EU's External Action Service.

In Europe, the safe and secure integration of drones into the airspace is enabled by the U-space framework, which is composed of digital services and procedures for drone operations in low-level airspace, including coordination with crewed aviation where needed. The deployment of U-space services is a direct result of SESAR's past and ongoing research and innovation.

Against this backdrop, the workshop provided an opportunity for experts to compare progress, share lessons learned and identify areas for future collaboration. Discussions covered U-space implementation, UTM-ATM integration, vertiport operations, drone separation management, detect-and-avoid technologies, dynamic airspace reconfiguration and standardisation.

The exchanges highlighted the significant progress achieved through SESAR projects and the growing international interest in the European approach to integrating drones and future air mobility services. Participants also explored opportunities for deeper collaboration through Horizon Europe and SESAR research activities, following the opening of Horizon Europe to Japanese organisations.

The week concluded with SESAR JU's participation in Japan Drone 2026, where the organisation hosted a stand and participated in a panel exploring Japanese-European synergies. The event provided an opportunity to showcase European achievements, engage with stakeholders from across the drone ecosystem and strengthen dialogue on the future integration of new airspace users.

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