Unifly, a leading provider of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) technology, has announced that its platform is enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) medical drone delivery trials in Belgium. Operated by Skyports Drone Services in partnership with healthcare provider AZ Turnhout, these trials mark a significant step forward for emergency healthcare logistics and cross-border U-space implementation in Europe. The drones are transporting time-sensitive medical cargo, including pathology samples and medication, between hospital campuses in the Kempen region.
A New Era for Medical Logistics in Kempen
Launched on August 1st, the medical drone delivery initiative sees drones flying BVLOS between the AZ Turnhout St Jozef and AZ Herentals hospital campuses in Belgium’s semi-rural Kempen region. This area often faces logistical challenges due to long distances between facilities and limited flexibility in ground transportation. By utilizing drones, the project aims to drastically reduce delivery times, which can be critical for urgent medical cargo like pathology samples and medication. For example, a route covering 18.7km takes 13 minutes by drone compared to 30 minutes by road.
Notably, the drones involved in the trial are remotely piloted from Skyports’ Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, showcasing a cross-border operational model. Airspace receivers have been installed on hospital roofs in the region to facilitate drone operations and ensure seamless integration with existing crewed airspace.
Unifly’s Role in Enabling Safe BVLOS Operations
Unifly’s advanced UTM platform is central to the safe and compliant execution of these BVLOS medical flights. The system delivers core U-space services, which are essential for managing drone traffic in integrated airspace. These services include:
- Digital Flight Planning and Automated Authorizations: Streamlining the process for obtaining necessary flight permissions.
- Real-time Airspace and Traffic Monitoring: Providing comprehensive situational awareness to all stakeholders.
- Tactical Deconfliction and Conformance Monitoring: Ensuring drones maintain safe distances from other aircraft and adhere to their planned routes.
- Integration with Cross-Border Regulatory Authorities: Facilitating seamless operations across different airspace jurisdictions.
The Unifly UTM platform enhances automation and digitalization, reducing the need for manual interpretation, and is designed to support the safe integration of various next-generation aircraft, including Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles, into shared airspace.
The BURDI Project: Advancing Cross-Border U-space
This pioneering medical drone delivery trial is supported by the BURDI (Belgium/Netherlands U-space Reference Design Implementation) project. Co-funded by the European Union and the SESAR Joint Undertaking, BURDI’s primary objective is to validate scalable, cross-border U-space architectures under real-world conditions. Both Unifly and Skyports Drone Services are key partners in this collaborative European initiative. The project aims to support the safe and sustainable integration of multiple drone operations, including BVLOS flights, alongside traditional manned aviation, setting a precedent for future airspace management across Europe.
Navigating Belgium’s BVLOS Regulatory Landscape
Belgium operates under the standard European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations for BVLOS flights, typically requiring a Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) for authorization in the “specific” or “certified” categories. SkeyDrone, Belgium’s designated U-space Service Provider (USSP), plays a crucial role in the current medical drone project by enabling the necessary flight authorizations and providing real-time air traffic monitoring to ensure safe operations within the U-space framework.
Belgium has been at the forefront of integrating BVLOS drone operations. Previous milestones include regulatory approval for BVLOS drone flights in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, where Unifly’s UTM system has facilitated thousands of operations, including for petrochemical sample transport and port surveillance. These prior successes have paved the way for the ongoing expansion of BVLOS capabilities into critical services like medical logistics.
The current medical drone delivery trials in Kempen represent a significant leap forward, showcasing how advanced UTM systems can enable complex BVLOS operations, even with cross-border remote piloting. This development not only promises more efficient healthcare logistics but also provides a vital real-world demonstration for the future of integrated airspace in Europe.
