BVLOS drone flight connects residential care centre and general hospital in Belgium

An uncrewed aerial system (UAS) has successfully completed a 4 km test flight in Belgium between Residential Care Centre De Zon in Bellegem, managed by Zorg Kortrijk, and General Hospital Groeninge in Kortrijk. The flight, conducted beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the pilot, is part of the  TETRA project Medical Drone Supplies (MEDROS), led by VIVES University of Applied Sciences.

The MEDROS project aims not only to explore but also to implement the possibilities of UAS technology for transporting medical goods within the Flemish healthcare sector as well as to integrate it into the entire healthcare logistics chain. Project partner KU Leuven is also conducting a comparison between the quality of blood samples transported by drone and those transported by road.

The drone’s route included the geozone of Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport, where strict safety regulations apply to UAS. The test marked the first time that a drone has flown beyond the pilot’s line of sight in this geozone without the need to interrupt other air traffic.

SkeyDrone provided its BVLOS framework to ensure the safety of the airspace as well as for those on the ground. The flight was conducted by ADLC, a Belgian start-up experienced in the transport of petrochemical samples within the Port of Antwerp. The UAS was operated fully automatically throughout the flight, with real-time remote monitoring from ADLC’s operations control room.

The flight was closely monitored by a team of experts, and the collected data will be analysed to formulate further recommendations.