• The tests have made it possible to collect data on the behavior of electronic visibility (e-Conspicuity) and satellite navigation (GNSS) technologies in drone operations and manned aviation.
• The initiative has brought together for three days EUROCONTROL, national operators of UAS, State Security Forces and Bodies and entities of the aeronautical sector.
• For these operations, the first volume of segregated airspace (TSA) in Spain has been approved for innovation.
• This campaign strengthens the national territory as a reference environment for the experimentation of advanced operations, thanks to the collaboration between administrations, industry and European organizations.

 

Madrid, 22 October 2026 (AESA)

The State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and Ineco have coordinated in Ribeira Sacra (Galicia) the EUROCONTROL e-Conspicuity/GNSS flight campaign, supported by EASA and EUSPA, with the aim of testing and validating technologies that will contribute to the safe development of advanced drone operations in Europe.

During three days of testing, participating operators and entities have carried out flights in different scenarios to collect data on the behaviour of electronic visibility technologies (e-Conspicuity) and navigation aid systems based on GNSS signals.

In addition, this campaign has marked a milestone by managing the first authorisation of volume of temporarily segregated airspace (TSA, Temporary Segregated Airspace) due to innovation (sandbox), at the initiative of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC).

A complex environment for advanced operations

The flight campaign has been included in the framework of the ESCAI project, led by INECO, and has had the support of EUROCONTROL, an organization that will analyze and process the data obtained during the flights.

The operational activities have been carried out in three locations of the Ribeira Sacra: the Finca Millara, the Aeródromo do Cadaval and the Mirador de Triguás. The campaign has had the support of the Xunta de Galicia and the City Council of Parada de Sil, whose collaboration has facilitated the logistical organization during the rehearsal days.

The choice of Ribeira Sacra responds to the particularities of its environment and the possibility of developing different types of operations in a space that combines rural areas, complex orography and different flight profiles. These characteristics make it possible to extrapolate the results obtained in this enclave to almost 80% of the national territory.

Spain is consolidated as a reference environment for this type of demonstrations by having extensive experience in the field of unmanned aerial systems, a consolidated regulatory framework and a professionalized industrial and technological network.

 

A collaborative ecosystem

The campaign has brought together public administrations, European bodies, national UAS operators, technology centres and aeronautical service providers, reflecting the diversity of actors needed for the development of future advanced drone operations.

The operators Aeromedia, FuVeX, Bluenest, INECO and UMILES have participated, as well as the air units of the Customs Surveillance Service, National Police and Civil Guard.

_{Photo by participants at Cadaval Aerodrome}

For its part, INECO has installed ground antennas that provide air-to-ground conspicuity (visibility) in Ribeira Sacra, with the aim of generating the enabling environment for future General Aviation and UAS operations with greater complexity.

In addition, AXPA has provided e-Conspicuity coverage maps for operations. It is also worth mentioning the collaboration of ENAIRE and the Gradiant technology centre, which have been able to validate different operational solutions within the framework of the tests.

 

Boosting new operational capabilities with drones

AESA, together with INECO, has assumed the coordination of the flight campaign, facilitating and organizing the participation of the different actors involved, as well as the execution of the tests in different operational locations.

_{Coordinators representing AESA and Ineco}

Through this type of initiative, AESA promotes and contributes to creating the necessary conditions for the industry to test and validate new operational capabilities in a safe and orderly manner.

The results obtained will serve to expand knowledge about the behavior of these technologies in real conditions and will contribute to promote more complex operations and new business models with drones in Spain.

 

About EASA

AESA is the State body, attached to the State Secretariat for Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, which ensures that civil aviation standards are complied with in all aeronautical activity in Spain.

The Agency has the missions of Supervision, Inspection and Management of Air Transport, Air Navigation and Airport Safety. It assesses risks to transport safety and has the power to impose penalties for infringements of civil aviation rules.