Day #0 - 03 November
Day #1 - 04 November
Each panel will conclude with a dedicated Q&A session. Attendees can submit and vote on questions by scanning the QR code.
Opening Keynote: From Aerial City Vision to Operational Ecosystems
- Cristóbal David de Vera Cabrera David Pérez-Dionis Chinea Lola García Montserrat Mestres Domenech
The conversation around aerial cities is evolving. In 2026, the key question is no longer whether advanced aerial operations are technically possible, but how they can be integrated into real environments through regulation, infrastructure, operational design and public trust. This opening keynote will set the tone for the event by exploring why the sector is moving from isolated pilots to connected, scalable ecosystems.
Aerial Ecosystems After the Pilot Phase: What Now Needs to Happen to Scale
- Andrew Carter Sascha Hardegger Mark Balsdon Lorenzo Murzilli
The market has matured, but scale remains elusive. This panel will examine what has changed over the past year, where real progress is being made, and why moving beyond pilot projects now depends on ecosystem readiness rather than technology alone. Speakers will discuss the conditions needed to turn promising concepts into repeatable operations with long-term value.
Regulation as Infrastructure: SORA, Authority Capability and Operational Approval at Scale
- Enda Walsh Natale Di Rubbo Richard Ellis Ángel Alves Lorenzo Murzilli
Regulation is no longer just a compliance exercise. It is becoming one of the foundational enablers of market growth. This panel will explore how SORA, regulatory frameworks and authority capability are shaping the pace of deployment, and why the readiness of regulators, operators and public authorities is now central to scaling advanced aerial operations.
Airspace Integration Beyond Drones: U-space, ATM, SWIM and Highly Automated Operations
- Thomas Jimenez Daniel García-Monteavaro Dr. Hrishikesh Ballal
As operations become more advanced, integration into the wider airspace system becomes the real challenge. This panel will focus on U-space, ATM modernisation, SWIM and the data-driven architectures required to support increasingly automated and diverse operations. The discussion will look at how the industry can move from fragmented solutions toward interoperable airspace ecosystems.
Operational Readiness on the Ground: Launch Sites, Vertiports, Connectivity and Contingency Planning
- Dr. Christoph Selig Alberto Iovino
Aerial ecosystems depend as much on what happens on the ground as in the air. From launch and landing sites to airspace design and management, communications, tracking, emergency procedures, supporting infrastructure and enabling services, operational readiness requires a coordinated approach across multiple layers. This panel will examine what must be in place on the ground and in the air, to support safe, repeatable and scalable operations.
Certification, Compatibility and Safety Case: The Real Gatekeepers of Market Entry
- Thomas Eder Dario Di Martino Amin ELMRABTI Jordi Salvador Francisco Javier Muñoz Lorenzo Murzilli
Certification and safety assurance are increasingly defining who can enter the market and who cannot. This panel will look at aeronautical compatibility, safety case development and the practical interfaces between certification, operational approval and infrastructure deployment. It will highlight why assurance has become one of the decisive elements in moving from ambition to implementation.
Day #2 - 05 November
Each panel will conclude with a dedicated Q&A session. Attendees can submit and vote on questions by scanning the QR code.
Fuerteventura as a Living Test Environment: Why Islands Matter in the Future Airspace Economy
- Sergio David Díaz Martínez
Fuerteventura is more than a host location. It represents the type of geography where new aerial operations can be tested, refined and demonstrated in a meaningful way. This session will explore why islands and remote environments are emerging as important proving grounds for future airspace concepts, and why Fuerteventura is particularly well positioned to play that role.
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From Ground to Stratosphere: Integrating Drones, HAPS and Future Aerospace Operations
- Wajahat Beg Marta García Gutiérrez Alvaro López
The future aerial ecosystem will not stop at low-altitude drone operations. It will increasingly include high-altitude platform systems, stratospheric operations and new forms of aerospace activity sharing the same broader environment. This panel will examine what it takes to integrate these layers safely and effectively, and why the challenge is not only technological, but also operational, regulatory and strategic.
Dual-Use Aerial Systems from User Perspective: Civil, Security and Defence Convergence
- Dan Carroll Jenn Player
The boundaries between civil, security and defence applications are increasingly blurred. Technologies, operational concepts and airspace integration challenges are often shared across use cases, even if missions differ. This panel will explore how dual-use aerial systems are shaping the evolution of the sector, and how capabilities developed for one domain can accelerate progress in others. The discussion will focus on integration into airspace, operational requirements, resilience, and the role of public authorities in enabling safe and effective use across different contexts.
Designing Operations That Authorities Approve: From Concept of Operations to Real Flights
- Roberto Gándara Ossel Simon Ritterband Kyle Snyder Benjamin van der Hilst Lorenzo Murzilli
One of the biggest gaps between ambition and reality lies in the translation from concept to approved operation. This panel will explore how operators, authorities and infrastructure stakeholders move from high-level concepts to detailed, approvable operations. It will focus on ConOps development, operational procedures, airspace design, risk assessment and the practical challenges of turning a mission into something that can be safely authorised and repeatedly executed.
Social Licence to Operate: Trust, Visibility and Community Acceptance in Real Environments
- Veronica Mariti Sesoko Carl Garvie
Public acceptance is not a soft issue at the margins of the sector. It is a core condition for deployment. This panel will explore how trust is built, how communities evaluate the value of new operations, and why visibility, transparency and usefulness matter as much as safety and performance. The discussion will focus on how operators, authorities and local stakeholders can work together to build lasting legitimacy.
Who Pays for Scale? Procurement, Business Models and Investable Aerial Infrastructure
- Sorin Moisa Etienne Louvet Kirill Shilov
As the market becomes more selective, the question of who funds deployment becomes increasingly important. This panel will examine the commercial side of scale, from procurement models and public-sector demand to private investment and infrastructure financing. Speakers will discuss what makes projects credible, what buyers are really looking for, and how the sector can move from experimentation to sustainable market structures.
Closing Panel: The Next 12 Months: Where Aerial Ecosystems Will Scale First, and Why
Not all markets will move at the same pace. This closing panel will identify the environments, use cases and ecosystem models most likely to scale over the next 12 months. It will bring together the key insights of the conference to assess where momentum is strongest and what needs to happen next for the sector to progress.
