Flying a drone near airports in France

What the rules say

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

• Distance restriction10000 mConditional
• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesConditional
• Digital authorisationNot resolved
• Altitude relationshipConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 100 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 30 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 60 m

• location

  Distance at or above 10 km

• location

  Distance at or above 2.5 km

• location

  Distance at or below 10 km

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Activation Schedule of Regulated Airspace Portions

  The designated airspace portions are active Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays, during the hours specified in the AIP, except for the Sainte-Léocadie low-altitude helicopter training sector which can be active daily except Sundays.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Annexe I - section overview

  This annex defines the lateral and vertical distance limits for UAS operations in the vicinity of runways, final approach and take-off areas (FATO), and permanent or commercial ULM platforms in France.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to multiple runways or FATOs

  Proximity requirements apply to each runway or FATO individually when an aerodrome has multiple, unless the operator has guarantees they will not be used during the flight.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 avril 2019, annexe, point 2 - section overview

  This section establishes a default maximum flight altitude of 120 meters in France, which is lower near aerodromes and active military zones. It requires pilots to check the official Geoportail map before flying and to avoid operating near other aircraft.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 avril 2019, annexe, point 5 - section overview

  This section prohibits the operation of unmanned aircraft in the proximity of airfields and aerodromes in France, notes that minimum separation distances can reach up to 10 km for major aerodromes, and directs pilots to the official Geoportail map to verify local restrictions.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 avril 2019, annexe, point 6 - section overview

  This section prohibits the overflight of sensitive or protected sites, such as nuclear power plants, military zones, and national parks, and obligates remote pilots to check the official Géoportail map for restrictions before flying.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, annexe, point 1.3 - section overview

  This section regulates autonomous aircraft operations in France, establishing a general prohibition on autonomous flights with a specific exception for autonomous tethered balloons under certain conditions.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, article 8 - section overview

  This section defines the height limits and airspace requirements for BVLOS (hors vue) drone operations in France outside the Open category and aeromodelling associations, including specific rules for aircraft under 2 kg and requirements for operating in controlled airspace.

  Open the requirement

Official sources

• Arrete du 3 decembre 2020 relatif a l'utilisation de l'espace aerien par les aeronefs sans equipage a bord — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 19 avril 2019 relatif au contenu de la notice d'information fournie avec les emballages — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 3 decembre 2020 relatif a la definition des scenarios standard nationaux — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile

Known limitations

• 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 France

• Do I need to register my drone in France?Registration in France 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.
• Do I need Remote ID in France?Remote identification in France is framed by a published mass threshold of 25 kg, together with the aircraft and operation conditions cited below. Whether a given flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity depends on those conditions.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in France?Drone flights in France 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 over people in France?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in France: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Can I fly a drone at night in France?No. A published rule in France prohibits night operations for the operations covered here.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in France?No. A published rule in France excludes BVLOS for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in France?Whether an operation in France 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 France?Remote pilot competency in France scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
• Do I need drone insurance in France?Drone insurance in France is published with a minimum third-party cover of 0.75 million SDR. Whether cover is required for a given flight depends on the published conditions below.

All drone laws in France