UMILES Next’s air taxi takes to the sky for the first time in Europe’s urban airspace (U-space)

As part of TindAIR -Tactical Instrumental Deconfliction And In-flight Resolution- a project for very large-scale demonstrations on urban mobility, UMILES Next's Concept Integrity air taxi, equipped with TECNALIA’s FlyFree technology, has completed successful test flights in Toulouse, taking off from the Onera Test Field. This event represents a significant step towards the integration of this type of aircraft into the air space as part of the European TindAIR project, intended to validate the urban air traffic management system of the future with unmanned aircraft (U-space). In this demonstration, other UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) flew alongside the air taxi to show that this new traffic element can successfully coexist in urban areas in the near future.  

At the event, UMILES Next was able to test automatic flight control and autonomous take-off and landing on its eVTOL aircraft (electric and vertical take-off and landing), making it possible to integrate the air taxi into the U-space.

The mobility of the future will be smarter and more sustainable. Alternative transportation options will be available in increasingly crowded cities thanks to new systems and developments. UMILES Next and TECNALIA are already very focused on that future, developing air and ground mobility solutions which are expected to become a viable option by 2028.

The Concept Integrity air taxi is an improved evolution of the first prototype unveiled in 2019. It is capable of travelling across cities autonomously, designed to carry one person and cover urban distances of up to 15 kilometres in 15 minutes.

Such autonomous aircraft must currently be piloted in order to receive the certificates required for operation. This has prompted UMILES Next to begin work on the design of its piloted aircraft, Integrity3, based on the patented FlyFree technology, which it hopes will be in flight within the next few years.

UMILES Group CEO Carlos Poveda said: “Our goal is to go to market fast and to do that, we need to work with all air mobility sector players to outline rules, standards and requirements that we all have to meet. These types of initiatives allow us to fully engage with all the possible safety considerations, among other factors. This is a major step forward for UMILES Next that will bring us ever closer to the mobility of the future.”

About TindAir 2022

The TindAIR project is flight-testing manned and unmanned aircraft, taking place initially in Toulouse and Bordeaux. A group of innovative companies and research laboratories from France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, coordinated by Innov’ATM under the aegis of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, teamed up to launch TindAIR with the goal of validating the urban air traffic management system of the future (U-space) in Europe. Before take-off, these vehicles must be safely integrated into the skies alongside existing manned aviation and air traffic control. The goal of these test flights is to identify and resolve any issues so that all airspace users can share the skies safely in the near future.

About UMILES Next

UMILES Next, part of UMILES Group, develops advanced air and ground mobility solutions. A pioneer in delivering innovative capabilities to address passenger and freight transport safely and sustainably by harnessing the synergies of its proprietary technology. UMILES Next, in partnership with its main tech provider Tecnalia, is committed to spearheading air and ground mobility and competing on the global stage backed by exclusively Spanish capital and technology.

About TECNALIA

TECNALIA is the leading applied research and technological development centre in Spain, a benchmark in Europe and a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance. The group works with companies and institutions to enhance their competitiveness, improve people's quality of life and ensure sustainable growth, thanks to a team of professionals who are passionate about technology and committed to building a better society. TECNALIA’s core areas of activity are the digital transformation, smart manufacturing, the energy transition, sustainable mobility, urban ecosystem and personalised healthcare.