Medical drone flights between Meppel and Zwolle extended until mid-2027
The pilot involving medical drone flights between the Isala hospitals in Meppel and Zwolle is being extended until mid-2027. More than 800 flights were carried out in the first year. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), ANWB, Isala, LVNL, and KPN are continuing the research to gather more knowledge. The insights gained contribute to the development of a national drone network, making the use of medical drones more widely applicable.
The drones transported various medical supplies, including refrigerated medication, and blood samples. The results show that drones can be a useful addition to existing hospital processes and that transport has no relevant impact on the quality of the investigated medicines.
KPN supports the pilot with mobile connectivity for the drones. During flights, the drones use KPN's 4G and 5G network. With KPN Drone Connect, KPN gains insight into network coverage at drone altitude and the quality of the connection during flight.
Results of the first pilot year
The test has yielded the following results since the start in September 2025:
- More than 800 flights performed
- A fixed flight route of 22 kilometers between Isala Meppel and Isala Zwolle
- An average flight duration of 14 minutes
- An operational availability of 92-95%
- Safe execution of flights in shared airspace
- Transport of medication and blood samples between hospital locations
- Practical experience with the integration of medical drones into Dutch airspace
Learning in practice
For a year, in all seasons, the route between Meppel and Zwolle was used to test medical drone flights in practice. Strong winds proved to be the biggest challenge. As a result, flights had to be postponed or cancelled on some days. The parties involved also gained experience with technical points of attention. The pilot demonstrates that medical drone flights can take place safely in a so-called corridor between the two hospital locations. The experience gained will contribute to the further expansion of the pilot and to research into the safe integration of manned and unmanned aviation. This offers prospects for nationwide scaling up of, among other things, medical drone flights in busy Dutch airspace, provided that regulations ensure the visibility of aircraft and clear right-of-way rules.
Towards a nationwide medical drone network
The extended pilot investigates how drone transport can be used more broadly for laboratory diagnostics, various patient groups, and pharmaceutical products. The experiences on the route between Meppel and Zwolle form an important basis for future drone corridors and a national medical drone network.
