Flying a drone near airports in Lithuania

What the rules say

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

• Distance restrictionNot resolved
• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesYes
• Digital authorisationConditional
• Altitude relationshipConditional
• ExceptionsNot resolved

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the a1, a2, a3 and open categories of operation.

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Authorization for Flights Above Geographical Zone Vertical Limits

  UAS flights above the vertical limits of a UAS restricted geographical zone in an aerodrome control zone require prior approval from the relevant air traffic service provider.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight Planning via UTM Platform

  Planning of UAS flights above the vertical limits of a UAS restricted geographical zone in an aerodrome control zone must be conducted through the online platform https://utm.ans.lt or the 'Lithuania drone map' mobile application.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight Termination Upon System or Communication Failure

  If the system fails or telephone communication with the air traffic service provider cannot be maintained, the remote pilot must immediately terminate the flight or descend below the vertical limits of the restricted geographical zones, and report the failure as soon as possible.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Flights Above UAS Geographical Zone Vertical Limits in Controlled Airspace

  Drone flights conducted above the vertical limits of LTSA-established UAS geographical zones within controlled airspace must comply with the procedures established by the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA).

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Immediate evacuation of activated military restricted zones

  All airspace users, including drone pilots, who are within a restricted zone must immediately leave the zone or land their aircraft upon receiving information about its planned activation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Mandatory Evacuation of Activated Restricted Zones

  All airspace users, including drone pilots, must immediately leave an activated restricted zone (by flying out or landing) upon receiving information about its upcoming activation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Pilot Competency for Flights Above Geographical Zone Vertical Limits in CTR

  Remote pilots operating in the Open category above the vertical limits of a UAS restricted geographical zone within an aerodrome control zone must hold a valid A1/A3 online training certificate or an A2 remote pilot certificate of competency.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Special Permissions for Specific Restricted Geographical Zones

  UAS flights within restricted geographical zones URVI12, URKA10, or URPA09 require permission from the respective aerodrome manager, while flights in URSA05 require permission from the Commander of the Lithuanian Air Force Aviation Base.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• LTSA direktoriaus įsakymas Nr. 2BE-6 — Bepiločių orlaivių skrydžių virš nustatytų bepiločių orlaivių sistemų (UAS) geografinių zonų vertikalių ribų valdomojoje oro erdvėje vykdymo tvarkos aprašas — AB "Oro navigacija" (Lithuanian air navigation service provider)Open
• Lietuvos Respublikos aviacijos įstatymas (Nr. VIII-2066) — 6 straipsnis — Agentūros (TKA) kompetencija, įskaitant bepiločių orlaivių registravimą — AB "Oro navigacija" (Lithuanian air navigation service provider)Open

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on airport_airspace.protected_facility; the binding position is published.
• 2 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 Lithuania

• Do I need to register my drone in Lithuania?Registration in Lithuania 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 Lithuania?Remote identification in Lithuania 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 Lithuania?Drone flights in Lithuania 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.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Lithuania?Whether an operation in Lithuania 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 Lithuania?Remote pilot competency in Lithuania 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 Lithuania?Drone insurance in Lithuania 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 Lithuania