Harmonized Skies 2025, organized in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), represented the 8th edition of GUTMA’s flagship event, bringing together 150 participants from every corner of the globe to explore the possible scenarios to build a true low-altitude economy.
This year’s edition took place in Zurich, on November 4-5, where the discussions, brought sharper focus on the institutional and regulatory barriers slowing UTM progress, and where GUTMA highlighted the Swiss UTM implementation process: after two years of risk assessment, Zurich is planning field testing and full deployment by the end of next year.
The event and saw the participation of various UTM stakeholders, including Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), drone operators, policymakers and Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) representatives from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE SWISS U-SPACE
Discussions on the Swiss U-space examined why Zurich marks a pivotal first step toward a seamless European drone services market and how its pioneering soft launch can inform best practices across the region.
The Zurich U-Space use case illustrates the complexity and time investment required for such initiatives, as two years have already been dedicated to the risk assessment process. Field testing is targeted for Q2 2026, with full deployment expected by the end of next year, underscoring both the ambition and the rigorous safety standards driving this effort.
Francine Zimmermann, Director of Aviation Policy and Strategy Division at the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation, emphasized the unique opportunities of Harmonized Skies 2025:
For FOCA, Harmonized Skies is an important platform to engage with peers and industry on the practical challenges of U-space. Each authority has its own context, but the questions we face are similar. By exchanging experiences, we can move faster towards solutions that ensure safety and scalability. This is why FOCA is pleased to welcome colleagues from around the world to Zurich this year.
Francine Zimmermann’s opening speech.
AT THE CORE OF EUROPE’S EVOLVING DRONE ECOSYSTEM
The event agenda was full of insightful panels that covered current and future challenges on regulatory developments, market evolution and the role of automation and international interoperability.
The panellists, speakers and moderators shared their perspectives on different aspects of the low-altitude economy and discussed how we can collectively implement safe and scalable drone operations.
The overarching theme of the session focused on the economic and business aspects and explored how digital aviation can unlock new markets. Another major focus of the discussion was dedicated to the institutional, and regulatory barriers to be addressed in order to support cross-border operations and shift toward high-density, automated operations, as the speakers identified the lack of regulatory framework in Europe as one of the current main challenges for the industry.
The technical discussions highlighted practical solutions to enable innovation, integration, and global implementation of standards and open-source frameworks. Key next steps include accelerating progress for automated testing, prioritizing funding, defining critical areas of work, and fostering collaboration across the ecosystem to ensure interoperability.
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: VISITING INNOVATION PARK ZURICH
Attendees also had the chance to experience the innovative Swiss U-Space implementation, see how the operations are managed and witness how this model represents a successful pioneer project for the European region.
The two-day event wrapped up with a visit to the Innovation Park Zurich, featuring live demonstrations of flight operations, guided tours and drone model showcases from many local Swiss start-ups that presented their innovative technologies and how they are implemented.
FACE TO FACE IN ZURICH: THIRD CAA NETWORK MEETING
After a very successful second meeting, GUTMA organized the 3rd CAA Network Meeting in Zurich right after Harmonized Skies 2025, in collaboration with the Federal Office of Civil Aviation Switzerland (FOCA). The meeting provided an excellent forum for Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) to share insights and address common challenges. Discussions centered on the differences between UTM implementation in Europe and other regions, emphasizing the importance of understanding both similarities and state-specific methodologies to enable meaningful comparisons of UTM approaches.
Participants noted that there is clear momentum in the industry, but regulatory barriers remain a significant obstacle. Nonetheless, the active participation of EASA and numerous CAAs representatives from North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania signalled the collective commitment to push boundaries and lay the groundwork for scalable, safe, and cross-border drone operations.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: LOOKING AT HARMONIZED SKIES 2026
The achievements of Harmonized Skies 2025 were made possible thanks to the collective effort and commitment of our partners: Wing, HHLA Sky, Skypuzzler, Zipline, Dimetor, Ericsson, Intent Exchange, Innovation Park Zurich and Innovation Zurich.
We are also deeply grateful to the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) for their cooperation in the organization of the event, and to GUTMA’s Media Partners: Autonomy Global, Global Airspace Radar and Unmanned Airspace.
Thanks to their contributions, GUTMA was able to provide a platform to gather a diverse range of stakeholders and innovators of the UTM industry, to discuss the innovations that are leading the way towards a more integrated and connected sky.
Check out the pictures from the event
With a joint commitment of all GUTMA members, we are already starting to work on the next edition of Harmonized Skies 2026 that will take place in Tokyo, Japan, in the Fall 2026!
We are starting to build a strong programme to showcase innovative Japanese drone technology and to invite GUTMA members from all over the world to discover the local ecosystem, and spark dynamic discussions on the differences between Japanese UTM and other geographical areas.
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