“Nice Matin” features FLYDE: democratising maritime drone delivery on the French Riviera
In its business section, Nice Matin runs a long-form piece on FLYDE and the company’s ambition to democratise maritime drone delivery on the French Riviera. The coverage comes at a pivotal moment for the project: on the eve of the first operational flight day at Port Gallice (Antibes), scheduled for May 21, 2026.
The Riviera daily traces the trajectory of the young company based in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin: a regulatory journey started more than three years ago, dozens of exchanges with the DGAC under the SORA 2.5 procedure, then the granting in February 2026 of the generic SAIL II operational authorization — covering the entire Mediterranean basin.
The article highlights FLYDE’s pioneering position: no other European civil operator currently holds a comparable authorization for maritime drone delivery operations to vessels at anchor. This lead rests on a next-generation drone — the CAVOK CK25VE — fitted with a 10 kg smart winch, a 2-axis 320° camera, redundant communications (4G + SATCOM Iridium) and four maritime-certified floats.
Beyond yachting, Nice Matin also addresses the potential for extension to other uses: resupply of merchant vessels at anchor, offshore logistics, inter-island medical transport. These avenues are being explored as part of the Blue Innovation Challenge demonstrator, led with the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.
The announced schedule: commercial opening in June 2026 in Antibes, progressive rollout to Cannes (Port du Béal), Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Monaco, then the first international corridor in Sardinia (Porto Rotondo) over the summer with partner Nautica Assistance.
