The city’s government has laid the groundwork for a comprehensive drone ecosystem – the first of its kind in Germany. The goal is to create a cross-industry network with a wide range of applications. Various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be deployed in urban areas, depending on their specific task.
The city’s port features 43 kilometers of quay walls, many of which are over 100 years old, making them prone to damage and requiring extensive repair. This is an ongoing task that costs a lot of money and ties up resources. 2018 was the first year that drones were deployed to inspect quays, bridges and other port infrastructure or spot oil spills polluting the Elbe River. They proved successful.
HHLA pioneered the use of drones
The driving force behind this drone-based monitoring program was HHLA Sky – a technology startup affiliated with the logistics company, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). Meanwhile, HHLA-operated drones perform three main tasks: delivery flights, monitoring and security missions. Cybersecurity has been a key consideration in the development of the project from the very beginning. Security mechanisms are designed to prevent unauthorized individuals or hackers from manipulating flight paths or taking control of drones and the sensor data they collect. The X4 drone used by HHLA Sky, a monitoring drone, collects data in security-critical industries. There are many such areas in the port, including the neighboring Airbus production plant, and the Lufthansa Technik headquarters and its many Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities at Hamburg Airport.
Remote drone control
In contrast, the X25 drone from the manufacturer and HHLA Sky partner, Third Element Aviation, is suitable for last-mile surveillance. This so-called octocopter, powered by eight fans, has a range of 25 km and can carry loads weighing up to 10 kg per flight. A drone pilot, working remotely from a control desk, can maneuver multiple X25 drones simultaneously.
As the range of applications is growing and more drone providers are entering the market, the Hamburg city government has decided to coordinate the drone ecosystem by integrating it into its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) strategy. This was confirmed on Friday 20MAR26 by Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economic Affairs, Labor, and Innovation: “Hamburg is set to become a European hub for urban air mobility – a place where new drone applications are developed, tested, and rapidly put into practice. With our strategy, we are creating the conditions for innovative technologies to be deployed safely and effectively in the city.”
UAM vision
Her goal is to develop the city and the surrounding metropolitan region into an internationally recognized hub for UAM applications by 2030. The modes of use are wide-ranging: they include infrastructure inspections and express deliveries for logistics companies, supplies of aircraft parts for Airbus or Lufthansa Technik, medical transport from hospital to hospital, disaster response missions, and aerial support for public safety agencies and organizations such as the police and fire department.
A particular challenge is the complex and closely monitored airspace over Hamburg, which includes traffic at two airports. The new drone strategy addresses these conditions, while its implementation depends on two key prerequisites: public acceptance and the environmental compatibility of the new technology.
The Federal Aviation Authority (LBA), as responsible regulator, approved HHLA Sky’s drone flights years ago. The recently announced expansion of the program under the UAM scheme is unlikely to be derailed by government concerns or any bureaucratic hurdles.
