# Cabinet plans national drone flight database, starting in Rotterdam port

> The cabinet is building a national database of drone flights to make it easier to act against unauthorised drones, with the first trial starting this year in the port of Rotterdam.

Politics · published 2026-11-06 14:25 · https://nlnow.nl/a/cabinet-plans-national-drone-flight-database-starting-in-rotterdam-port/

The cabinet is working on a national database of drone flights in the Netherlands. The first practical trial starts this year in the port of Rotterdam, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said. Companies and government bodies there will test drone detection technology and share information from their systems, to build a full picture of all drones in the port area.

Both private and public parties help keep Dutch airspace safe, but information on which drones fly where is now scattered. That leaves no complete overview of drone traffic. The database would bring data from both groups together and support action against unauthorised flights.

Drones can be detected through radio frequencies, sound, cameras or radar. Participants in the Rotterdam trial will also gain experience with U-space, the European air traffic management system for drones, which helps tell "good" drones from "bad" ones. Drones are already used in the port for security checks, transport, infrastructure inspections and as first responders at fires and incidents.

The cabinet wants to add Schiphol to the database in 2027, the North Sea and its vital infrastructure in 2028, and other vital public and private facilities towards 2030.

In 2025 there were several incidents with unauthorised drones, including at Defence air bases and Eindhoven Airport. The previous cabinet set up a taskforce in response. The ministry says there are so far no indications that the drone threat to national security has increased, and that several measures have already been taken over the past year.

A National Expertise Centre, where operators of vital services can bring questions for help, started in the third quarter of 2026. The cabinet is also drafting a Strategic Agenda for Unmanned Aviation, which includes a National Drone Summit in the first half of 2027.

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