Flying a drone near airports in Finland

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Finland. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Distance restriction600 mConditional
• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesYes
• Altitude relationshipConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 1000 ft

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 300 m

• location

  Radius of 600 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 150 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 500 ft

• location

  Radius of 150 m

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Aerodrome control discretion on prefix use after first call

  Aerodrome control may, after the first call, discontinue or continue using the prefix 'Remote' at its discretion.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  ATS discretion on prefix 'Remote' after initial call

  After the initial call, the Air Traffic Services (ATS) unit may, at its discretion, stop or continue using the prefix 'Remote'.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Controlled Airspace and ATC Compliance for Military RPAS

  Military RPAS operations must be conducted within controlled airspace and in compliance with local air traffic control instructions and operating procedures.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Mandatory 'Remote' prefix on first call to aerodrome control

  The first radio call to aerodrome control by an RPAS receiving air traffic control service must include the prefix 'Remote' before the call sign.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Minimum VFR flight altitude in other areas

  In areas other than congested areas or crowds, VFR flights must not be conducted at an altitude of less than 150 meters (500 feet) above the ground or water, or 150 meters (500 feet) above the highest obstacle within a 150-meter (500 feet) radius of the aircraft.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Minimum VFR flight altitude over congested areas and crowds

  VFR flights must not be conducted over congested areas of cities, towns, or settlements, or over an open-air assembly of persons, at an altitude of less than 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the highest obstacle within a 600-meter radius of the aircraft.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  OPS M1-1 kohta 1.4 - section overview

  This section defines a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) under Finnish aviation regulation OPS M1-1 as a type-approved or certified unmanned aircraft operated from a remote pilot station under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in controlled airspace under air traffic control.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  OPS M1-1 kohta 2.13.5 - section overview

  This section defines the minimum flight altitudes for VFR flights in Finland, implementing national rules under SERA.5005(f). It establishes a minimum altitude of 300 meters (1,000 feet) over congested areas or crowds, and 150 meters (500 feet) elsewhere, with exceptions for take-off, landing, and operations under OPS M1-15.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Traficom regulation OPS M1-1 – Suomessa sovellettavat lentosäännöt (2025) — Finnish Transport and Communications AgencyOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on airport_airspace.protected_facility; the binding position is published.
• 1 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Finland

• Do I need to register my drone in Finland?Registration in Finland is governed by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg, alongside the further conditions cited below. Whether it applies to a given flight depends on those conditions, each cited to its rule.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Finland?Drone flights in Finland are held to a published general height limit of 120 m above_nearest_obstacle. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone at night in Finland?No. A published rule in Finland prohibits night operations for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Finland?Whether an operation in Finland needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Finland?Remote pilot competency in Finland scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.

All drone laws in Finland