skeyes sets up shop at DronePort

The drone sector is changing rapidly, and skeyes wishes to play a role in the future development of this field. For this reason it is participating in several initiatives and is now going to establish a site at DronePort.

DronePort is a campus for technology companies active in the manned and unmanned aviation sector. Start-ups, growth companies, schools and knowledge centres will work together to conduct research, exchange experiences and take initiatives to stimulate the drone sector and bring it into line with traditional aviation practices. Given this situation, skeyes can and will be present at this innovative site.

skeyes is already participating in a number of projects that aim to exert specific influence on the development of the drone sector. Through such initiatives, the company wishes to acquire operational and technical knowledge that it can then apply to the operational integration of drones in our airspace. Together with its partners, skeyes is also preparing the impact at the national level of the latest European regulations that will meet industry’s pressing demand to be able to use drones more easily for a wide range of applications.

Incubator

The safety of air traffic is, of course, always the number-one priority for skeyes, and in this respect air traffic control is facing a challenge when it comes to drones. By making our knowledge of air traffic and airspace available to the various players and working with them to further develop the U-Space (airspace for unmanned vehicles), we want to realise our role in this area to its full potential, in the interests of air safety. Conversely, skeyes will obtain an even better insight into the sector’s expectations and needs, to be integrated in our Droneguide application. In this connection, the incubator at DronePort is the perfect location for this approach.

Tests

DronePort also offers skeyes the opportunity to play an active role in a wide range of test projects. This is useful, among other things, in the context of the SAFIR consortium, of which skeyes is a participant. In this connection, test scenarios in integrated drone traffic management will soon be implemented for an extensive range of drone activities in Antwerp during the second half of 2019. The purpose of the demonstrations is to help the EU develop its vision of the U-space so as to provide drones with safe access to airspace.

EUKA

At DronePort skeyes also finds itself in the company of other members of EUKA, a partnership between companies, knowledge institutions and authorities focusing on drones. In addition to exchanging experiences, EUKA’s partners are also working on the co-creation of business ideas that can help the drone sector move forward. EUKA is therefore rightly taking up its place at DronePort.

Johan Decuyper, skeyes CEO: “The integration of manned and unmanned aviation is just around the corner, and skeyes is preparing for this. We do this, as in other areas of our operations, by placing a strong focus on partnerships. We find many well-known as well as new partners at DronePort who help monitor and guide developments in the sector. By learning from each other, carrying out joint research and developing specific ideas and projects, we are not only putting our country on the map within the drone sector, but can also become a pioneer at international level.”

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About skeyes

skeyes ensures the safety and efficiency of air traffic in Belgium 24/7. The skeyes air traffic controllers manage over 3,000 aircraft every day, which makes up over a million flight movements per year. The autonomous public company is active at the heart of Europe, in one of the busiest and most complex sections of airspace of the continent. skeyes is active at Brussels Airport and at the airports of Antwerp, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Liège and Ostend. Thanks to its CANAC 2 control centre skeyes manages the flight movements above Belgium and a part of Luxembourg up to an altitude of 7,500 metres (*). The company relies on its nearly 900 experienced staff members who are at the service of their customers: airline companies, airports, the aviation sector and the authorities. skeyes also develops innovating services regarding drones and contributes to a sustainable future of the aviation sector, among other things with respect to the environment.

skeyes is a member of FABEC, a joint airspace block (Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland) with the aim of improving air navigation efficiency in the heart of Europe in the framework of the Single European Sky.

www.skeyes.be

(*) The upper airspace of the Benelux countries and North West Germany is managed jointly with the EUROCONTROL centre in Maastricht. 

Contact

Tervuursesteenweg 303 1820 Steenokkerzeel Belgium

+32 2 206 21 11

press@skeyes.be

www.skeyes.be