For the first time, a drone flight took place in the controlled airspace around Brussels Airport, with active deconfliction between ATM (Air Traffic Management for traditional crewed aviation) and UTM (for uncrewed aviation). skeyes, in its role as Common Information Service Provider (CISP), and SkeyDrone, as a drone operator and U-space Service Provider (USSP), exchanged data intensively, allowing the airspace to remain active for traditional crewed aviation while simultaneously integrating a drone flight safely.
The drone took off from the twelfth floor of the Living Tomorrow Innovation Campus in Vilvoorde. The flight was the result of a collaboration between skeyes, SkeyDrone, Living Tomorrow and DroneLand.
This groundbreaking operation marked a significant step in the safe integration of crewed and uncrewed aviation within the Controlled Traffic Region (CTR) of an international airport.
A New Milestone for U-space and Safe Drone Integration
The drone was remotely controlled and crossed the Brussels Ring Road four times. The control signal for the uncrewed aircraft came from the control room of drone operator SkeyDrone, a subsidiary of skeyes and Brussels Airport, located in Steenokkerzeel, 13 kilometers in a straight line from Living Tomorrow. The flight was conducted in close coordination with skeyes, the Air Navigation Service Provider responsible for all flight movements over Belgian territory up to an altitude of 7,500 meters, whether crewed or uncrewed.
The Future of Drone Integration in Belgium
This historic flight highlights Belgium’s efforts to take a leading role in the European aviation sector. Through collaboration between public and private partners, the path is being paved for the safe and efficient integration of drones into our airspace, with applications in logistics, urban mobility, and emergency response.
Johan Decuyper, CEO of skeyes comments: “This flight proves that we are ready to take the next step with drones for beyond visual line of sight operations near complex airspaces around airports. The experiences gained here contribute to a workable ecosystem where economically relevant applications for unmanned aviation are possible, without compromising the safety and efficiency of traditional aviation.”
Living Tomorrow as an Innovative Launch Platform
The choice of the Living Tomorrow Innovation Campus as the take-off location underscores Belgium’s forward-thinking vision for aviation innovation. This iconic building serves as a test environment for new technologies, where drones play a key role in urban mobility and logistics applications.
Yin Oei, CEO of Living Tomorrow adds: “Our campus is the ideal place to demonstrate the future of aviation. We aim to make innovative technologies accessible to businesses and governments, with a focus on sustainability and efficiency.”
The Role of SkeyDrone and DroneLand
As a subsidiary of skeyes, SkeyDrone plays a crucial role in the implementation of U-space in Belgium. U-space is an innovative concept enabling the safe and efficient integration of drones into airspace. Thanks to U-space, drones will be able to operate in busy and complex airspaces, opening new possibilities for commercial and societal applications such as parcel delivery, inspections, and emergency response.
DroneLand, a leading provider of drone solutions in the Benelux, contributes expertise in drone hardware and software. Their extensive knowledge and services, including training and maintenance, support the continued professionalization of drone operations.
Learn more about SkeyDrone’s U-space services here.
