This week Málaga will host three events as part of the Vertical Operations ready to GO (VERT-IGO) project, a Horizon Europe Innovation Action funded by the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking with around EUR5 million. Its aim is to safely integrate electric air taxis and large cargo drones into today’s airspace, alongside commercial aviation, general aviation and all other airspace users. Demonstration flights are planned for two Andalusian corridors: Málaga Airport – Marbella (passenger transport with the VALO, Vertical Aerospace’s piloted electric eVTOL) and Port of Málaga – Port of Almería (air logistics with the LAILA, Odys Aviation’s long-range hybrid cargo drone).
On Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21, the partners’ technical teams hold a project working meeting in Málaga. They will review progress over the first months and coordinate the next steps of VERTI-GO’s two solutions:
- Solution 1, crewed operations under visual flight rules (VFR): digital flight planning, booking of vertiports and contingency landing sites, and automation of air traffic control and flight information services. It will culminate in VALO test flights between Málaga and Marbella.
- Solution 2, ATM and U-space ecosystem under instrument flight rules (IFR): remotely piloted cargo operations in risk categories SAIL III–IV, U-space access in controlled airspace and the digital remote tower concept. These operations will be validated on the Almería–Málaga corridor and through simulations of the London TMA.
The first meeting of the Institutional Advisory Board will take place on Thursday 22. It comprises 41 members from 21 institutions: authorities and public bodies, industry, universities and professional associations. The Board’s mission is to assess the value of the project’s results and guide its work. It will also anticipate regulatory requirements and help ensure that the new air mobility meets the needs of society. The session will present the project, its use cases and the VALO and LAILA aircraft, followed by two round tables with Board members, one with authorities coordinated by AENA and one with industry coordinated by ENAIRE, and an open discussion with the consortium.
On the same day in the afternoon the first Málaga IAM Open Forum will be held, open to the public.
The project started in June 2026 and will run for 36 months, until May 2029. It is coordinated by Honeywell and brings together 11 partners and 3 affiliated entities: AENA, Aerosolutions, ENAIRE (with CRIDA), EUROCONTROL, Frequentis, Fundación ITG, NATS, Odys Aviation, ANS CR and Vertical Aerospace. VERTI-GO will develop its concepts in 2026 and 2027. Connected simulations and SAIL IV cargo drone trials will follow in 2028, and VALO test flights in 2028 and 2029. “The results will feed into European standards and regulation (EASA, EUROCAE, ICAO FF-ICE) and the U-space roadmap, positioning Málaga as a European reference for the arrival of this new electric and sustainable aviation,” said a project press release.
For more information
https://www.sesarju.eu/projects/VERTI-GO