A drone took off from the rooftop of the Living Tomorrow business campus in Vilvoorde on Thursday, flying out of the sight of a pilot before landing back there again.
For the first time, a drone operated in the airspace around Brussels Airport, where such flights are generally prohibited. The drone departed at 10:00 from a platform on the 12th floor of the Living Tomorrow tower, covering a 5.7-kilometre flight.
During its 30-minute journey, the drone travelled to the Brussels Ring Road, crossed it, briefly flew over the Vilvoorde viaduct, and then returned. The pilots were 12 kilometres away, in the control room of SkeyDrone, the company that carried out the project in collaboration with air traffic controller Skeyes and drone provider DroneLand, among others.
The drone flew almost entirely autonomously. The pilots only took control momentarily to inspect the viaduct works, using the drone's camera to zoom in and capture some images.
This unprecedented flight near the airport was made possible due to new regulations associated with 'U-space', which designate specific areas where drones are allowed to fly beyond the pilot's visual line of sight.
Since last year, a similar U-space zone has been in a testing phase at the port of Antwerp and is set to become fully operational from autumn. The plan is to establish new U-space zones, including around the country's airports such as Zaventem, and in locations like above the North Sea, the coastal region, industrial hubs, and other areas where there is demand.
