Steenokkerzeel/Boom, 31 July 2024 – Tomorrowland, one of the world’s premier music festivals, celebrated its 20th edition in Boom, Belgium, over the last two weekends of July. The event attracted 400,000 attendees from over 200 countries, making safety a top priority for all festival-goers, staff, and volunteers.
To enhance security measures, a temporary GeoZone zone was established around the festival site, requiring drone operators to obtain flight authorisation. Only drones operated by the police and festival organisers were permitted to fly within this area. Possession of drone equipment was also prohibited in the vicinity of the festival.
To enforce these regulations, the Police District of Rupel, responsible for security at Tomorrowland, collaborated with SkeyDrone. SkeyDrone’s drone detection solution enabled the police to monitor air traffic in real-time, ensuring compliance with the GeoZone rules.
The system detected more than 1000 flights over the two weekends, executed by only 50 different drones. The majority of these flights were performed by drones from the organisation and the police. Hence more than 90% of all detected drone flights were authorised. On top of being unauthorised, some drones exceeded the maximum height for drones in the Open Category of 400 feet (120 meters) above ground level or the distance limit of 500 meters between pilot and drone. The highest drone was recorded at 1642 feet (500 meters) above ground level and the maximum observed distance between a pilot and his drone was 1813 meters. As a result of these detections, the police confiscated 11 drones and several violations were reported to the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority.
Peter Muyshondt, Chief of Police for the Police District of Rupel stated: “While most drone pilots followed the rules, it is crucial to address any infractions. Our priority is the safety of everyone at Tomorrowland, and we cannot tolerate reckless behavior in the skies.”
Hendrik-Jan Van Der Gucht, Managing Director of SkeyDrone added: “We’re proud to have assisted the police for the second year in a row, securing such a renowned festival. It shows that our drone detection solution is effective in contributing to the law enforcement tasks of the police. The collaboration with PZ Rupel and other police zones allows us to further evolve our products and make them even more responsive to real customer needs.”
About SkeyDrone
SkeyDrone is a joint venture between the Belgian Air Navigation Service Provider skeyes and Brussels Airport Company. The company’s mission is to provide end-to-end solutions for business needs related to the use of uncrewed aircraft (drones). SkeyDrone offers solutions for lower airspace monitoring, management of and protection against drones for authorities and geo-zone managers, UTM/U-space & consultancy services for drone operators and business integration services for companies. Playing a pivotal role in the implementation of U-space in Belgium, SkeyDrone is on track to make history by becoming one of the first U-space service providers in Europe.
