Operational Performance of a 3D Urban Aerial Network and Agent-Distributed Architecture for Freight Delivery by Drones

Highlights: What are the main findings? 3D-UAN and agent-based framework supported well the simulation of scenarios for freight delivery by aerial drones. As the fleet size increases, travel time increases, while the use of the link dynamic property reduces and layer changes increase. What is the implication of the main finding? Structuring airspace by a 3D-UAN with dynamic links could support effective freight distribution by aerial drones in urban and peri-urban areas. A cooperative architecture for exchanging data among aerial drones, hubs (vertiports, Urban Consolidation Centres), and an Airspace Management Authority would improve safety by containing delays. The growing demand for fast and sustainable urban deliveries has accelerated exploration of the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as viable logistics solutions for the last mile. This study investigates the integration of a distributed multi-agent system with a structured three-dimensional Urban Aerial Network (3D-UAN) for drone delivery operations. The proposed architecture models each drone as an autonomous agent operating within predefined air corridors and communication protocols. Unlike traditional approaches, which rely on simplified 2D models or centralized control systems, this research exploits a multi-layered 3D network structure combined with decentralized decision-making for improving scalability, safety, and responsiveness in complex environments. Through agent-based simulations, this study evaluates the operational performance of the proposed system under varying fleet size conditions, focusing on travel times and system scalability. Preliminary results demonstrate that the potential of this approach in supporting efficient, adaptive, resilient logistics within Urban Air Mobility frameworks depends on both the size of the fleet operating in the 3D-UAN and constraints linked to the current regulations and technological properties, such as the maximum allowed operational height. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts to define robust operational architectures and simulation methodologies for next-generation urban freight transport systems.