Maximum drone altitude in United Arab Emirates

What the rules say

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

• General height limit121.92 mConditional
• Reference datumAGLYes
• Category-specific limitsNot resolved
• Aerodrome-related limitNot resolved
• Structure exceptionNot resolved
• Authorised exceedanceConditional
• Conditional limitsConditional
• ExceptionsNot resolved

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 400 ft

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Flight Limits for Practical Training Operations

  Practical training flights must be conducted within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) and at an altitude of no more than 400 feet above ground level, unless special GCAA approval is obtained.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Maximum Flight Altitude

  The UA pilot must fly at an altitude not exceeding 400 feet (120 meters) above ground level.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Operational Limitations for Event Operations

  UA event operations must be limited to daytime, conducted within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), restricted to a maximum height of 400 feet AGL, limited to aircraft with a maximum take-off mass of 5 kg, and must not involve goods delivery or the transport of dangerous goods.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Standard Airspace Approval Limitations

  Standard UA operations under an airspace approval must be conducted during daytime, under Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), at or below 400 feet AGL, with a maximum take-off mass of 25 kg, and without transporting dangerous goods.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• GCAA CAR-UA-ATO Issue 01 — Unmanned aircraft approved training organisations — Dubai Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen
• GCAA CAR-UAR Issue 04 — Unmanned Aircraft (UA) recreational flights — Dubai Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen
• GCAA CAR-UAEV Issue 02 — Unmanned Aircraft (UA) event operations — Dubai Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen
• GCAA CAR-UAEX Issue 02 (corrected) — Unmanned Aircraft (UA) experimentation operations — Dubai Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen
• GCAA CAR-UAD Issue 02 (corrected) — Unmanned Aircraft (UA) demonstration operations — Dubai Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen
• GCAA CAR-UAC Issue 02 — Unmanned Aircraft (UA) commercial and governmental operations — Dubai Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen

Known limitations

• 4 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 United Arab Emirates

• Do I need to register my drone in United Arab Emirates?Registration in United Arab Emirates depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in United Arab Emirates?Drone flights near aerodromes in United Arab Emirates are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in United Arab Emirates?Whether an operation in United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates?Remote pilot competency in United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates?Yes. Published rules in United Arab Emirates require insurance cover for the operations covered here.

All drone laws in United Arab Emirates