During the recent World ATM Congress in Madrid, Leonardo and Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) unveiled a collaboration aimed at enhancing vertiports with cutting-edge technological advancements to support future aerial mobility.
As a global frontrunner in air traffic management (ATM) technologies and solutions for Air Traffic Management (ATM) and airport operations, Leonardo has been deeply engaged in crafting an unmanned aircraft traffic oversight system for drones, alongside a series of trials with remotely operated vehicles within the realm of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Through ‘UrbanV’, Aeroporti di Roma is focused on planning and overseeing ground facilities for Advanced Air Mobility and is currently constructing a network of vertiports for Rome, Venice, and Côte d’Azur—positioning themselves as pioneers in this emerging sector on a global scale.
This partnership reaffirms the commitment of both entities in this sector and follows a memorandum established between Leonardo and AdR at the outset of 2022, designed to foster innovative initiatives. One of these projects emphasizes ground infrastructure development and air traffic management’s demands, focusing on urban air mobility to transition AdR’s airport facilities into smart hubs. Specifically, Leonardo and Aeroporti di Roma will investigate suitable technological solutions and ground apparatus to advance the creation of new vertiports. Concurrently, they will assess new operational concepts to expedite the technological, regulatory, and procedural evolution, aiming to transition from experimentation to service delivery in the near future.
Remotely piloted vehicles represent the new business landscape for the industry.
Leonardo has invested significantly in developing technologies and applications across all sector dimensions, with considerable resources allocated to platforms, sensors, communication systems, and control mechanisms—enabling the management of both manned and unmanned air traffic oversight.
AdR is proactively immersed in designing the ground facilities—referred to as vertiports—to facilitate the operational initiation of this service type in Rome, with an ambitious goal of commencing the first commercial operations between Fiumicino airport and the urban center of Rome in 2024, potentially on an experimental basis, along with the introduction of flying taxis within the same year.
Ivan Bassato, Chief Aviation Officer of Aeroporti di Roma
Ivan Bassato, Chief Aviation Officer of Aeroporti di Roma, articulated: “AdR is diligently designing the ground facilities—known as vertiports—to support the operational rollout of this service type in Rome, aiming for a challenging timeline to initiate commercial operations between Fiumicino airport and the heart of Rome in 2024, possibly on an experimental basis, and to offer the potential for flying taxis that same year. This inaugural commercial route is set to be one of the world’s first to adopt Urban Air Mobility. This exemplifies our dedication to two critical strategic aims: sustainability and innovation, which we prioritize in our infrastructure initiatives for the airports of the future.”
“By tapping into Leonardo’s proficiency in both manned and unmanned air traffic management platforms, we position ourselves as a key technological partner for Aeroporti di Roma in the fiercely competitive field of Advanced Air Mobility. Looking ahead, the progressive implementation of emerging technologies will facilitate more efficient, rapid, and sustainable travel with utmost safety,” stated Laurent Sissmann, Senior Vice President Unmanned Systems at Leonardo.
Leonardo stands as the singular enterprise in Europe capable of delivering not only comprehensive remote-piloted intelligence, surveillance, environmental monitoring, and information-gathering missions—integrating platforms, radar, electro-optical sensors, mission systems, and ground control solutions—but also air traffic management and airport operational solutions, ranging from weather radar to secure airport communication technologies.
