Unifly has announced that its UTM platform enabled the delivery of real-time U-space services for medical drone delivery trials in Belgium, operated by Skyports Drone Services.
The initiative, supported by the BURDI (Belgium/Netherlands U-space Reference Design Implementation) project, marks one of the first operational demonstrations of cross-border U-space implementation for emergency healthcare logistics in Europe, says the company in a press release.
“Launched on 1 August, the trial involves Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights between the hospital campuses of AZ Turnhout in the Kempen region. The aircraft are remotely piloted from the United Kingdom and carry time-sensitive medical cargo, including pathology samples and medications.
“The Kempen region, a semi-rural area in northern Belgium, faces challenges such as long distances between healthcare facilities and limited flexibility in ground transportation. Drones offer a faster and more efficient alternative for urgent medical logistics, enabling hospitals to reduce delivery times, improve coordination of care, and support the delivery of personalised treatments such as chemotherapy. This demonstration highlights how safe U-space integration can unlock impactful real-world healthcare services.
“Unifly provides the UTM platform used to deliver core U-space services, supporting safe and compliant airspace access in alignment with European U-space Regulation. These services are delivered through SkeyDrone, Belgium’s designated U-space Service Provider (USSP).
“Unifly and SkeyDrone are both partners in the BURDI project, which is co-funded by the European Union and the SESAR Joint Undertaking. BURDI aims to validate scalable, cross-border U-space architectures under real-world conditions.
Unifly’s platform enabled digital flight planning and automated authorisations, real-time airspace and traffic monitoring, tactical deconfliction and conformance monitoring and integration with cross-border regulatory authorities.
The trial is led by Skyports Drone Services and made possible with the support of BURDI and healthcare partners including AZ Turnhout and A-kwadraat. By reducing ground transport times from 30 minutes to under 13 minutes, the operation demonstrates the potential of drones to accelerate access to critical care, particularly for personalised therapies.
For more information
https://www.unifly.aero/unifly-utm-technology-supports-medical-drone-deliveries-in-belgium-through-burdi-project/
