At Droneport in Sint-Truiden, the Antwerp-based medical drone company Helicus is showcasing an automated ‘Drone Cargo Port’. The system is comparable to a parcel-locker-like terminal, where drones can independently load and unload parcels.
It was designed to automate the air-to-ground cargo handoff – loading/unloading workflows, standardized handling, and repeatable operations. The technology has been specifically developed for the medical, defense, and petrochemical sectors, where fast, precise, and reliable transport is critical.
The system, which is relatively unique because of its infrastructure concept, was presented on Tuesday to interested parties from the defense, industrial, and medical sectors. A similar system is already in use at the Port of Antwerp, the Jan Yperman Hospital in Ypres, and soon at the University Hospital of Liège.
How does it work?
You drop off a package you want to transport at the drone port, and a drone picks it up. After approval from a remote pilot, the drone can fly to the desired destination and deliver your parcel. Once the package arrives, it is unloaded, and the recipient can pick it up.
The drone airport can accommodate various types of international drones. The dimensions of the packages the drones transport are always identical. The drones can also carry pneumatic tubes, which are used in the medical sector, among others.
The largest drones can carry 12 kilograms, over a maximum distance of 500 kilometers. In the future, the same technology will be used to transport consumer packages.
DronePort is an active regional airport and business park that serves one of the most vibrant communities in the aviation and drone applications industry. DronePort is on a mission to create a fully CO₂-neutral and autonomous air hub that redefines the future of aviation and logistics.
European market
Europe is not yet a single operational market. Drone delivery services exist, but scaling is shaped by planning permission, noise/privacy acceptance, and aviation approvals.
Manna, for instance, runs short-range delivery from local hubs (food + small items) and has expanded operations across multiple areas; it also has operations linked to Finland. Manna is mainly ‘last-mile to homes’ (consumer logistics), while Helicus/Droneport is more ‘infrastructure for regulated logistics corridors’.
Wing operates drone delivery services in multiple regions and publicly positions the model as direct-to-home delivery from local partners. Dronamics positions itself as a cargo-drone airline concept in Europe, focusing on hub-to-hub air freight.
European scaling, however, depends heavily on U-space: the EU framework for safe drone operations and services in designated airspace.
Elsewhere in the world
Outside Europe, Zipline (medical networks in Africa and beyond) is the medical logistics benchmark, especially in Rwanda and Ghana, and it has reported very large delivery totals and autonomous miles.
It’s often cited for solving a high-urgency logistics problem (blood/vaccines) with a robust operational model. Compared to Helicus, Zipline is a mature national logistics network model.
China has pushed large-scale pilots/operations and is building formal regulations around them. China’s edge is speed, scale, and dense commercial use cases.
