Vision · Beyond visual line of sight
Flights beyond sight.
Deliveries within reach.
The Philippines is 7,641 islands. A drone you can only fly while you can see it reaches about half a kilometre. Our vision is a network of supervised, CAAP-authorised drone flights that cross the water no road can, so a vaccine, a phone or a lab result arrives in hours, not days.
Our vision
By 2030, any family on an inhabited Philippine island within reach of a LipadBox can receive medicine and parcels by drone the same day, flown beyond visual line of sight, watched over by licensed Filipino remote pilots, and as safe as any flight in our skies.
This is a concept and a direction, not an operating service. Every date on this page is a target that depends on regulatory approval, testing and community consent.
Why BVLOS matters here
Line of sight ends at the shoreline.
Under visual line of sight (VLOS) rules, the pilot must keep the drone in view with their own eyes. On a clear day that is a few hundred metres. The island hops that matter are 10 to 100 kilometres across open water.
- ~0.5 kmpractical reach of a VLOS flight
- 20 kmLipad Mini hop between island ports
- 100 kmLipad Long hop from a SkyPort
- 1,193 kmSamar → Palawan emergency relay corridor
Where the rules are today
We start from the regulation, not around it.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) regulates drones under PCAR Part 11. As published, flights are visual line of sight by default, and BVLOS needs a special authorisation that CAAP grants case by case, with extra safety measures. Operators also need a CAAP certificate of authorisation, and drones stay clear of the 10 km zones around airports.
Today
- VLOS by default: the pilot keeps the drone in sight
- BVLOS only with a special CAAP authorisation, case by case
- One pilot, one drone, on site
- No drone flights within 10 km of airports without clearance
- Medical drone flights are rare, one-off trials
The vision
- Pre-approved BVLOS corridors over water and low-risk ground
- A standing authorisation built on a proven safety record
- Licensed pilots in a 24/7 ops centre, each supervising several drones
- Airport zones coordinated with ATC in a shared traffic picture
- Routine same-day delivery and an emergency corridor on standby
The safety case
Six layers between a drone and a bad day.
BVLOS is earned by showing that the risk to people on the ground and in the air is at least as low as an equivalent crewed or ground operation. Each layer covers the failure of another.
- 01
Corridors, not open sky
Fixed routes below 120 m, mostly over open water, kept away from crowds, schools and markets, and geofenced around every airport zone.
- 02
Detect and avoid
ADS-B receivers on every drone, ground radar at SkyPorts, and onboard vision that gives way to crewed aircraft, birds and kites.
- 03
Two links home
LTE and LEO satellite command links. If both drop, the drone flies its pre-approved contingency route to the nearest pad or ditch point.
- 04
Fail-safe aircraft
Redundant motors and batteries, an automatic parachute, wind and rain limits, and no flights once a tropical cyclone signal is raised (except relief missions).
- 05
Seen by everyone
Remote ID broadcast and every flight filed in a traffic management system shared with CAAP, ATC, the PNP and LGUs.
- 06
Licensed people
Certified remote pilots in a Cebu ops centre, trained ground observers at island ports, and every flight logged, recorded and reviewable.
People at the edge of the network
Drones fly the hard part. Couriers finish it.
BVLOS doesn't replace people on the island, it puts them at the heart of the network. In early phases, trained Lipad Riders and box keepers act as ground observers and safety contacts at every island port. Later, they carry parcels the last metre, handle returns, and are the familiar face of every delivery.
- Ground observer training and certification for local couriers
- Each island port has a named, reachable safety contact
- Paid per delivery, daily, to GCash
- The same teal jacket on the island as on the drone
Roadmap
Four steps from sight to scale.
Each phase starts only once the one before has shown its safety record to CAAP and the communities it flies over.
-
Phase 1 · 2026–27 target
Prove it in sight
VLOS and extended-VLOS trials around Olango and Caohagan, with ground observers on each island. Build the safety data, noise surveys and community agreements.
Lapu-Lapu cluster · ≤ 20 km -
Phase 2 · 2027–28 target
First BVLOS corridor
Apply for a CAAP special authorisation for one over-water Mini corridor: Mactan → Olango → Banacon → Jao. Medical and RHU flights first, one pilot per drone.
3 hops · 42 km · medical priority -
Phase 3 · 2028–29 target
Long-range island network
100 km VTOL legs between Visayas SkyPorts and island ports. Certified detect-and-avoid, with one pilot supervising up to four drones.
Visayas · 100 km legs · 1 : 4 -
Phase 4 · 2030 vision
A national network
Boxes from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, plus the Samar–Palawan emergency corridor on standby with the NDRRMC, all flying in a shared traffic picture with crewed aviation.
Nationwide · emergency ready
What we hold ourselves to
Targets, published before the first flight.
Our promises to island communities
Nobody gets a drone over their roof they didn't agree to.
- Consent firstNo corridor opens without a barangay resolution and a public meeting.
- Over water, not homesRoutes are designed over the sea and away from houses wherever geography allows.
- Privacy by designDrone cameras are for navigation only. CCTV records only the box area.
- Local jobsCouriers, box keepers and ground observers hired from the island they serve.
Help write the next chapter of Philippine airspace.
We're looking for LGUs, rural health units, CAAP-certified pilots, couriers and investors who want to help make BVLOS delivery safe, legal and routine.
Regulatory context: CAAP RPAS regulations and PCAR Part 11. Images are AI-generated illustrations. This page describes a concept, not an approved operation.