Conducted cost–benefit and societal impact assessments, comparing drone operations with and without U-space to evaluate public benefits across safety, security, the environment, social acceptance and job creation.
The increasing use of drones in Europe requires safe and coordinated airspace management, particularly around airports, ports and cross-border areas. BURDI addressed this challenge by implementing a U-space airspace concept to support complex drone operations in controlled and uncontrolled airspace, as well as Urban Air Mobility environments.
Focusing on Antwerp, Liège and Brussels, the project aimed to establish a reference implementation for U-space in Europe, supporting standardisation, interoperability and economically sustainable and socially acceptable solutions.
Future Needs joined the consortium as the SSH research partner, focusing on the economic sustainability and public benefits of U-space. We examined the costs of developing and operating U-space services, potential pricing for users, and the benefits for society. We also contributed to research on social acceptance and governance, and led the project’s data protection and data management activities.
Assessed the needs and expectations of drone operators and the wider societal impacts of U-space, using survey findings and indicators developed by Future Needs to inform evaluation and validation activities.
Led market research and economic sustainability assessments, analysing demand for U-space services, willingness to pay, development and operational costs, and business viability.
Conducted cost–benefit and societal impact assessments, comparing drone operations with and without U-space to evaluate public benefits across safety, security, the environment, social acceptance and job creation.
Building on our research in BURDI, Future Needs developed a white paper examining drone operators’ willingness to pay for U-space services, their pricing preferences and the factors influencing adoption.
Future Needs authored a three-page article, Drone Economics, for the 2026 edition of Air Traffic Technology International, bringing our research on U-space costs, pricing and market demand to a global aviation industry audience.
Impact and capacity Assessment Framework for U-space societal Acceptance
Competence Centre to assess and advance societal readiness towards the adoption of Innovative Air Mobility solutions to increase social welfare
Reducing Environmental Footprint through transformative Multi-scale Aviation Planning
