Anra Technologies has become the first company to obtain U-space service provider certification from EASA. Announcing the news at the Airspace World event in Lisbon on May 14, Anra indicated that it is ready to launch U-space air traffic management services to support uncrewed aircraft operations in several European member states, pending approval from national regulators and air navigation service providers.
“This certification is a landmark milestone for our company and for the European drone ecosystem,” said Amit Ganjoo, founder and CEO of the U.S.-based company.
EASA uses the term “U-space” to describe the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, into European airspace. U-space service providers, or USSPs, provide the digital air traffic services needed for safe automated drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), as well as more complex operations over populated areas. These services could also support autonomous flight operations with passengers.
“Anra’s achievement of becoming the first certified U-space service provider demonstrates what is possible through rigorous compliance and technical maturity,” said EASA executive director Florian Guillermet. “It sets the benchmark for others and moves us closer to a safe, secure, and interoperable European U-space ecosystem.”
The EASA certification process involved two years of testing and evaluation of every aspect of USSP operations, including safety, cybersecurity, and data protection.
“We’ve grown tremendously as an organization during this journey,” said Patricia Garcia Pastor, U-space certification manager at Anra. “Working closely with EASA, we’ve built robust internal systems and processes that align with the high bar set for U-space safety and reliability.”
EASA outlined all the rules and regulations that apply to USSPs in its “Easy Access Rules for U-space” (Regulation (EU) 2021/664) published in May 2024. Meanwhile, the FAA’s BVLOS rulemaking is nearing completion, according to FAA acting administrator Chris Rocheleau.