Historic Approval for BVLOS Drone Flights in Catalonia

CATUAV, operating as BCN Drone Center, has secured Spain’s first SAIL III authorisation from the Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA), permitting drone deliveries in populated zones beyond the direct line of sight of the pilot. The Moià-based firm conducted a series of pilot flights this summer across Terres de l’Ebre in Tarragona, transporting blood samples, biopsies, and pharmaceuticals between healthcare centres. The flights connected primary care centres (CAPs) in Flix, Gandesa and Horta de Sant Joan with Móra d’Ebre’s comarcal hospital, and also ran between Móra d’Ebre and Tortosa’s Hospital Verge de la Cinta. Logistics were coordinated by Biomedical Logistics, using a Swiss-made Eiger 3 drone produced by RigiTech, a company founded by Catalans.

Testing Medical Drone Viability in Rural Areas

The trial was not merely technical but aimed to verify real-world medical logistics. At each CAP, two identical samples were taken: one transported by road, the other by drone. Both were analysed at Móra d’Ebre hospital to compare quality, confirming that drone transport did not compromise sample integrity. Pharmaceuticals were also flown between hospitals. Daniel Castillo, commercial director at CATUAV, noted that one test involved a medication specifically requested by a patient in Móra d’Ebre, avoiding the need for travel from Tortosa.

Regulatory and Economic Context

SAIL III certification falls under the ‘specific’ category of drone operations, rated at level III for risk. It allows drones up to three metres in size to operate in areas with population densities up to 8,000 people per square kilometre, with remote pilots potentially located hundreds of kilometres away. Jordi Salvador, CEO of CATUAV, explained that achieving the permit required proving compliance in three areas: technology, operator capability, and pilot training. The company demonstrated robust safety protocols, maintenance plans, and emergency response systems to AESA over a six-month review period. The project is supported by the Fons de Transició Nuclear de Catalunya, a Generalitat initiative to diversify the economy around areas affected by the future closure of nuclear plants at Ascó and Vandellòs. A €35 million funding line has been activated to support such innovations, with six tech startups, including Biomedical Logistics, already established at CoEbreLab in Móra d’Ebre.

We’ve become something like a drone airline,

, Jordi Salvador, CEO, BCN Drone Center

The success of the trial now shifts focus to the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS), which must define a formal service model. Daniel Castillo stated that infrastructure adaptations at local clinics, such as designated drone landing zones, are the next step toward permanent operations.

Primary sources: ics.gencat.cat, govern.cat. Reported by David López Frías, Diari de Tarragona, Andreu Prunera, Diari de Girona, Regió 7, sUAS News, El Periódico (CA).