Malaga Airport is the first airport to offer air taxi services

Malaga Airport, Spain’s premier airport, will launch the country’s first drone air-taxi service to connect passengers with Granada as well as nearby areas like Marbella.

The aircraft, which is at the forefront of technology, will initially be operated by a pilot. Later on, autonomous flight may be planned. Malaga is now a leading player in Spain’s air mobility system. Professionals in the industry are working together on a pan-European project that integrates urban and regional air travel.

Testing is underway at Enaire’s R&D centre in Madrid, with Malaga’s air traffic controllers and Aena’s engineers. A dedicated flight path is being developed to ensure safe operation. A vertiport will be built near Malaga’s A-7 and runway 13. The first route between Malaga Airport and Granada will take 35-40 mins. Flying at 500-2,000 ft. altitude to avoid commercial planes is the goal of this test. The route follows the coastline for eight kilometres and then turns inland via Loja, bypassing high mountains.

Unrelated to this project, another one will allow parcel delivery drones by synchronised management of airspace. This will allow real-time communication with air ambulances or police helicopters. The project will reach a high maturity with a test flight in January 2026.

The hi-tech ecosystem of Malaga, backed up by Enaire, Aena and local companies such as Crisalion, iJet and Crisalion, is the perfect location for these first test flights. The Costa del Sol will have a Marbella route that takes 15-20 minutes by 2030.