When Freight Takes Flight
Cargo drones for industrial transport
South Tyrol/Südtirol is recognised for its expertise in mobility and technology development, and FlyingBasket demonstrates how this can be translated into market-ready solutions. The start-up company from Bolzano/Bozen develops new approaches to cargo transport with its electrically operated cargo drones. Founded in 2015 by the brothers Moritz Moroder and Matthias Moroder, the company has become a recognised developer of heavy-lift cargo drones in Europe. The vision: make transport more efficient and expand the use of electrically powered cargo drones in environments where conventional transport solutions face limitations. Their mission is to make aerial lifting and transport accessible for all industries.
Safer, more efficient and eco-friendly freight transport
The idea took shape during a hike in the Dolomites. A helicopter transport inspired the founders to look for a simpler and more sustainable way to move cargo in difficult terrain. Nowadays, the FB3 drone can lift a net load of up to 100 kg and is being used in a variety of fields: the construction of wind farms, alpine terrain, major construction sites, or telecom tower maintenance.
One particular milestone was reached in 2024 off the shore of the North Sea: “In just 10 days, our drones transported 5.5 tonnes of material to an offshore wind farm—a task that would have taken weeks using conventional means”, says Moritz Moroder. The company’s most recent success was subsequently achieved in 2025 off the British coast: as part of a large-scale project by Ørsted, the world’s largest developer of offshore wind power outside of China, FlyingBasket drones carried out hundreds of flights to more than 400 wind turbines. That way, it was possible to deliver material safely and precisely without having to power down the turbines—unprecedented for the international wind energy industry.
Pioneering work in technology and regulation
FlyingBasket has obtained authorisations for operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and has been involved in the development of operational frameworks for professional drone services. Nowadays, FlyingBasket employs more than 25 team members from nine nations. For the future, the company values substance: there are targeted investments in technology, process optimisation, and a company culture based on team spirit and long-term thinking. Together with partners such as the Italian postal service and Leonardo, FlyingBasket is working to establish permanent drone services between logistics centres, supporting the development of automated logistics processes and new transport solutions between logistics hubs.
