At Fiumicino airport the first SAIL III flight in Italy
The future of advanced air mobility is taking shape in Rome. ENAC and UrbanV have announced the first SAIL III operational authorization in Italy, a milestone that allows professional drones to fly over urban areas and strategic infrastructures in a stable and regulated way.
The operation took place in the area of Rome Fiumicino Airport, marking the transition from the experimental phase to the operational phase for advanced logistics services in cities.
What SAIL III means for cities
The SAIL level (Specific Assurance and Integrity Level) III represents a security standard that allows complex operations in controlled urban contexts, including overflights of populated areas and critical infrastructure.
In practice, this allows missions such as: rapid connections between hospitals; urgent transport of medical materials; logistical connections between production hubs. The goal is to reduce transport times in time-critical sectors, such as healthcare and emergencies, while improving efficiency and sustainability.
The test flight between Fiumicino and Ostia
The authorized flights departed from the Vertiporto di Pianabella, a sandbox managed by UrbanV at Rome Fiumicino Airport. The protagonist of the operations was the DLV-2 drone, developed in partnership with Speedbird Aero, fully compliant with the standards required for SAIL III operations.
The mission included: delivery of a package to the Cineland of Ostia; crossing the A91 Rome–Fiumicino motorway; overflight of the Rome-Fiumicino Airport railway line; Total route of 6 km with return to the vertiport.
The operations took place without any impact on airport operations, demonstrating the safe integration of drones into conventional airspace and over strategic ground infrastructure.
Coordination and safety
The activity was conducted by UrbanV in coordination with ENAC, ENAV, Aeroporti di Roma and with the institutional support of the Prefecture of Rome, the Police Headquarters, the Municipalities of Rome and Fiumicino, ANAS, RFI and FS.
This operating model anticipates the development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), in line with the National Plan adopted by ENAC, which aims to integrate electric vehicles and sustainable solutions into the Italian transport system.
Why it is important for the territories
For metropolitan areas such as Rome and Fiumicino, the green light for SAIL III means: replicable and scalable operations in complex environments; reduction of time in urgent transport; future integration with vertiports and eVTOL aircraft.
The path started shows that the "third dimension" of transport can become a concrete resource for more connected, fast and sustainable cities, with potential developments also in other Italian and European metropolises.
