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Italy is entering the most mature phase of drone development: in 2025, aircraft registered on the d-flight platform surpassed 148,000, while active operators exceeded 185,000 units. Authorized flight areas are increasing and vertiports will soon become operational. These figures emerge from the latest report by the Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano, which was one of the topics discussed during the meeting held at the Senate of the Republic where the 11th edition of Dronitaly, the only international exhibition in Italy dedicated to professional civil drones*, was presented. The event will take place at the EX-GAM Congress Center in Bologna from 11 to 13 March. The Politecnico di Milano report presented on 24 February identified more than 650 drone application projects in Italy, of which 89% fall under Aerial Operations (all drone operations for rescue, search, video filming, precision agriculture, etc.), while the remaining 11% concern Innovative Air Mobility & Delivery, meaning the transport of goods and people by drones. Sixteen percent of these applications can be defined as operational, meaning they have already complemented or replaced the way companies and public administrations carry out their activities. Nineteen percent are simple declarations of intent, 31% are experimental initiatives and 34% are defined as one-off projects, therefore operational but not recurring, such as the search for a missing person. Over the past year, the most advanced missions have also increased by 57%, with 44 BVLOS authorizations (drone operations beyond visual line of sight).
In 2025, the professional drone and advanced air mobility market in Italy (B2B and B2G) reached €168 million, marking a 5% increase compared to 2024. In the same year, active companies rose to 675, reversing the balance between new openings and closures for the first time in five years. New companies are increasingly focusing on high value-added services such as specialized maintenance, cleaning of complex infrastructures and precision agriculture. In this context of market growth and development, from 11 to 13 March Dronitaly 2026, now in its 11th edition and organized with the contribution of Assorpas, will bring around 60 companies, researchers, institutions and professionals to Bologna – at the EX-GAM venue – for three days dedicated to the civil and professional applications of drones, the latest products available and under development, and a rich conference program with dedicated spaces for research and innovation.
«Dronitaly 2026 – says Paolo Angelini, CEO of BolognaFiere Water&Energy and organizer of Dronitaly – was created precisely with the aim of enhancing the most innovative and high-impact use cases, encouraging the development of strategic partnerships and contributing to the growth of an ecosystem that can and must become a competitive asset for the country».
«Drones – commented Tiziana Petrillo, member of the National Council of Engineers (CNI) – are a valuable tool for improving standards and results in workplace safety, a topic we will discuss extensively on 12 March within the framework of Dronitaly. Their technological development is the key to a rapid evolution of safety monitoring tools, applicable from the design phase to the construction site, with a concrete and important contribution to accident prevention».
“With the seminar cycle ‘Drones and the Environment: Research, Applications and Perspectives’, the CNR aims to promote open dialogue among professionals from different application fields” – stated Dr. Andrea Dini, Director of the Institute of Geosciences and Georesources of the CNR. “Our goal is to offer an overview of operational applications, not limited to flight-related aspects, but also addressing cross-cutting issues that are crucial for the supply chain, such as data management and network infrastructure. In this context, we considered it essential to structure these sessions as a true training program for specialized personnel, aimed at both Public Administration and private organizations. The program covers the entire data lifecycle: from proper acquisition and storage to analysis and information protection, in full compliance with current regulations.”
“The sessions organized by ISPRA and the SNPA (National System for Environmental Protection) aim to explore application examples of drone use for acquiring information that supports institutional activities related to environmental and territorial monitoring and decision-making processes, starting from procedure management, field surveys and data processing, up to the delivery of the final information product” – states Serena Geraldini, Researcher at ISPRA and Coordinator of the SNPA drone working group. “SNPA applications and experiences developed in collaboration with other institutional actors will be presented, paving the way for a national multidisciplinary discussion aimed at strengthening synergies and integrating procedures, information and expertise.”
“Dronitaly – stated Dr. Benedetta Fiorini, member of the ENAC Board of Directors – has for years represented a privileged platform for dialogue between institutions, sector associations, industry and the scientific community: a meeting point where innovation, expertise and visions converge to shape the future of advanced air mobility and drone-based services. A future that is no longer a distant scenario but a concrete reality, characterized by experimentation, operational applications and new development opportunities for our country. Continuous dialogue between institutions, associations, operators and the scientific community – which Dronitaly fosters and stimulates – is essential. In this context, the role of ENAC is fundamental because the sector can grow only if technological innovation and the regulatory framework evolve harmoniously, supporting business development while ensuring the highest safety standards.”
*The 2026 edition of Dronitaly will be supported by RINA and Autostrada del Brennero as Platinum Sponsors and Galeelo SpA as Gold Sponsor.
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BFWE is a joint venture founded in 2021 by BolognaFiere and Mirumir with the aim of developing a business project that contributes to knowledge and the sharing of topics related to the economic and social value of water and the drone sector, with a focus on their new technological applications (https://www.bfwe.it). The BFWE portfolio includes the international exhibitions ACCADUEO, dedicated to the water sector supply chain, and DRONITALY, an event dedicated to the professional civil drone industry.
For further information:
BFWE Communication Office: Daniela Pitton +39 346 5941336 // ufficiostampa@mirumir.it // https://www.bfwe.it/
