The FAA has authorized Skyways to fly its hybrid-electric V2 drone beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) from the Louisiana coast to a Shell Pipeline Co. platform in the Gulf of Mexico, a first-of-its-kind approval, according to the agency. It granted the waiver under Section 927 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which lets the agency approve some drone operations without rulemaking or an exemption.
Skyways plans to launch the V2 from Shell’s facility in Gibson, Louisiana. The drone will inspect a pipeline corridor while on its way to conduct a mock delivery of critical equipment at the offshore platform. The company did not say when the flight will take place or how far offshore the platform sits. FAA guidance limits high-seas eligibility for Section 927 waivers to operations more than 12 nm from the U.S. coastline. Skyways has said the V2 can fly roughly 450 to 500 miles and carry up to 30 pounds of cargo.
“This authorization opens up a much larger operating envelope for us in the U.S.,” said Skyways co-founder and CEO Charles Acknin. “We expect this mission to show what’s possible when long-range autonomous aircraft are applied to real offshore operations, combining inspection and logistics in a single flight, over distances that are difficult to support today.”
Acting FAA deputy administrator Liam McKenna said the approval “demonstrates how we are working with industry to move beyond traditional operating limitations.”
Shell already runs a high-seas drone program and has worked with Skyways on pipeline inspections in the Gulf. Shell Pipeline president Wesley Stewart said the waiver will let the company use uncrewed aircraft to “streamline offshore inspections, maintenance, and logistics.”
Austin, Texas-based Skyways says it has logged 3,500 autonomous flights and about 90,000 kilometers (56,000 miles) for customers including the U.S. Navy, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, and All Nippon Airways. In 2025, it flew three weeks of cargo drops to a wind farm in the Baltic Sea with Skyports Drone Services, carrying up to 22 pounds on 50-mile round trips. In September, Skyways partnered with Danish logistics company DSV, which plans to fly supplies from Norden, Germany, to North Sea wind farms and energy platforms.
In the Gulf, Skyways expects the FAA waiver to lead to more frequent inspection flights and, eventually, paid cargo deliveries. The FAA’s final rule for routine BVLOS operations, known as Part 108, remains under White House review. The agency sent it to the White House in July. As proposed, Part 108 would let operators fly drones weighing up to 1,320 pounds beyond visual line of sight below 400 feet agl without waivers or exemptions.
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