Xplorate receives BVLOS approval for Australia’s Cooper Basin
Xplorate has received a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) approval for long-range drone operations in the Cooper Basin, Australia’s largest onshore petroleum region.
The approval certificate, granted by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) on 10th December, is valid through end of March 2029. It authorises Xplorate to fly its SwissDrones SDO 50 V3 uncrewed helicopters over vast distances day or night enabling inspection and surveillance of remote oilfields, gas pipelines, power transmission corridors and other critical assets.
“The approval represents scale,” Ronnie Fahy, CEO of Xplorate told us. “It shows we can do as we say in multiple locations and at scale globally.
“Securing this BVLOS approval for the Cooper Basin demonstrates the continued trust regulators have in our safety standards and technology,” he added.
In practical terms, energy infrastructure that was once difficult, costly or dangerous to inspect can now be monitored more efficiently, more frequently and with far less risk, said the company.
“By conducting missions in remote, high-risk areas without putting people in harm’s way, we’re helping increase our clients’ profitability and safety,” said Fahy.
Up until now, Xplorate has been focused on delivering inspection services for large infrastructure, such as gas pipelines, well sites and transmission lines. The authorisation in the Cooper Basin opens the door to assisting emergency management agencies too.
Noted as a “big addition”, Fahy said: “It is a region that is extremely remote and have very serious weather events. Emergency management and response is extremely valuable to the energy companies in that region.”
The Cooper Basin mission area includes both sparsely populated outback and regulated airspace,. Xplorate said this proves that large-scale BVLOS drone operations can be performed safely alongside traditional aviation.
The authorisation follows Xplorate’s earlier success with a 58,000sqkm (22,393sqm) approval for BVLOS operations in Queensland’s Surat Basin in October 2025.
Following on from multiple approvals in Australia, Fahy hinted at Xplorate setting its sights on the US market. The company has reportedly closed a number of deals there and will announce more details soon
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