Luxembourg achieves ‘medical milestone’: first blood sample delivered by drone in successful flight

A drone has successfully airlifted a blood sample from a hospital to a medical laboratory in the first official flight carried out by health and logistics providers in Luxembourg.

The sample was carried from Robert Schuman hospital in Kirchberg to a Laboratoires Réunis site in Junglinster on Thursday.

Griffin project representatives are seen with CSV Health Minister Martine Deprez (centre), DP Transport Minister Yuriko Backes (second from right) and DP Economy Minister Lex Delles (on right) during the inaugural medical drone flight on 10 July 2025 © Photo credit: Griffin project/Luxembourg Air Services

“The smooth and successful transport has proven that modern drone technology can be used for medical logistics in a way that is not only safe, but also fast, reliable and sustainable,” the Griffin project stated in a press release.

The Griffin project is a consortium founded in 2023 between Laboratoires Réunis, Luxembourg Air Rescue, Post Luxembourg and Santé Services, the Robert Schuman hospital group’s shared services provider.

The consortium is “investigating the potential of using drones for the transport of medical samples,” it stated in media briefing materials. “The aim is to conduct a thorough technical feasibility study and translate the findings into practical applications.”

Luxembourg’s civil aviation authority, the DAC, granted experimental licenses to the consortium last autumn and again in January 2025. Prior to this week’s inaugural delivery, its first actual flight “carrying a medical sample” was on 7 May and its “first transport of real patient blood samples” was on 2 July 2025.

“Current drone technology can be used to transport almost all medical samples that do not exceed a mass of three kilograms – this covers a very large proportion of the sample types commonly used in practice. These include blood, serum, urine, stool samples and various types of smears,” according to the briefing document.

The flight between the hospital in Kirchberg and medical laboratory in Junglinster takes about 10 minutes, Luxembourg’s transport ministry stated. The time can vary slightly due to wind conditions.

The Griffin project said it uses Rigitech’s Eiger 03 drone, which can carry a 3kg payload up to 100km, which is roughly an hour of flight time.

“The drone flies at an altitude of between 80 and 120 metres above the ground,” the consortium said. “The drone is fully electric and consumes just 0.7 kWh per 100 kilometres in horizontal flight.”

For comparison, a Stanford University student paper estimated that an electric helicopter would require 250 to 750 kWh to travel 100km.