Medical Drone Trial Connects Hospitals in Belgium and Netherlands
© Unifly.aero
WakeMed Health & Hospitals of Raleigh, North Carolina, emerged as a leader in drone delivery logistics by proving how unmanned systems could serve as a lifeline for healthcare networks. The hospital partnered with UPS and Matternet to transport lab samples between facilities, becoming the first U.S. health system authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to integrate drones into daily operations. When COVID-19 struck, the urgency of faster, contactless delivery propelled the program forward, showing that what began as a pilot program could become essential infrastructure. The crisis underscored the need for efficiency and safety in moving critical supplies, and WakeMed’s early investment in drone technology allowed it to scale rapidly and set a model for other health systems nationwide.
WakeMed’s success, along with other pioneers in the medical drone delivery sector such as Zipline, set the standard for how drones can become critical tools for the delivery of medical necessities. Building on that foundation, medical campuses around the world are now implementing programs that leverage drone technology. Most recently, a new trial in Europe has taken the concept even further, launching medical drone deliveries that operate not only between cities but across national borders. The trial is part of the broader European Union and SESAR Joint Undertaking (EU SESAR JU) initiative, which aims to drive air traffic mobility innovation across its participating nations.
This specific trial, funded by the EU SESAR JU, is called the Belgium/Netherlands U-space Reference Design Implementation (BURDI). BURDI is designed to validate how drones can safely integrate with traditional air traffic systems while operating across borders, creating a framework for routine medical deliveries throughout the region. By testing real-world scenarios in Belgium and the Netherlands, BURDI is laying the groundwork for a permanent U-space network that could serve as a model for the rest of Europe.
The BURDI trial commenced on August 1, 2025, with urgent medical cargo such as pathology samples and medications being flown via drone between the two hospital campuses of AZ Turnhout in Belgium’s Kempen region. Ensuring that the trial runs smoothly is a collaboration between Skyports Drone Services, based in London, UK, and Unifly, headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium. With Unifly’s Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) platform, Skyports is able to operate the drones flying in Kempen from a command center in Buckinghamshire, UK. The more than 200-mile distance between the command center and the hospital puts Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations to the ultimate test. As BVLOS operations are widely considered the final step in allowing drones to meet their full potential, this cross-border trial is a first of its kind worldwide.
Completing the drone deliveries are two drones from Skyports. The first is the RigiTech Eiger, which can complete the 11.6-mile route from A‑kwadraat to AZ Herentals in about 13 minutes, compared to roughly 30 minutes by road, carrying up to 6.6 pounds of cargo at an altitude of 262 feet. The second drone model is the Speedbird DLV-2, which can cover the 2.7-mile route from A‑kwadraat to St Jozef in about seven minutes, versus 16 minutes otherwise, carrying up to 11 pounds at an altitude of 164 feet.
The drones are flown to the rooftops of the hospitals, where new infrastructure has been installed to secure the mission. This includes airspace receivers and precision QR-code landing zones, allowing the drones to take off and land automatically. Over the last month, the drone trial has been operational five days a week. By the end of the trial, Belgium is expected to have established Europe’s first permanent, 24-hour medical drone delivery network with automated drone stations at key hospitals in the Kempen region.
It is a bold trial, one with significant implications. “Skyports is enabling the future centralisation of laboratory activities in specialised hubs such as A-kwadraat,” said Jef Geudens, Head of Technology at Skyports Drone Services. “This means that not every hospital needs to invest in the same costly infrastructure. This can help accelerate access to personalised treatments such as patient-specific chemotherapy, which can be delivered faster and made available across multiple locations.” The success of the BURDI trial in Belgium and the Netherlands further underscores the scalability and potential of medical drone delivery systems. By integrating innovative technologies and fostering international collaborations, these initiatives are paving the way for a future where timely and efficient medical deliveries are accessible worldwide.
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