Flying a drone near airports in United Kingdom

What the rules say

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

• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesConditional
• Digital authorisationYes
• Altitude relationshipConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability of Flight Restriction Zone Definitions

  The definitions in this article apply to a protected aerodrome which is a certified, Government, or national licensed aerodrome, and which has an aerodrome traffic zone.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Conditions for Issuing an Operational Authorisation

  The CAA must issue an operational authorisation without undue delay when all required information is provided and coordination procedures for controlled airspace are in place.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exceptions to Runway Protection Zones

  There is no runway protection zone for any runway threshold at the London Heliport or any prescribed runway threshold.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exemption for Certified Unmanned Aircraft

  Permission is not required under article 94A(4) of the Air Navigation Order 2016 for a flight, or a part of a flight, by an unmanned aircraft subject to certification.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  FRZ Permission from Aerodrome Operator

  Permission for a flight in the flight restriction zone of a protected aerodrome must be obtained from the aerodrome operator if there is no ATC or FIS unit, or if the flight takes place outside their operational hours.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  FRZ Permission from Air Traffic Control

  Permission for a flight in the flight restriction zone of a protected aerodrome must be obtained from the air traffic control unit if the flight takes place during its operational hours.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  FRZ Permission from Flight Information Service Unit

  Permission for a flight in the flight restriction zone of a protected aerodrome must be obtained from the flight information service unit during its operational hours if there is no ATC unit, or if the flight is outside ATC operational hours.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Remote Pilot Prohibition in Flight Restriction Zones

  The remote pilot must not fly an unmanned aircraft in the flight restriction zone of a protected aerodrome without the required permission.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Air Navigation Order 2016 (SI 2016/765) - legislation.gov.uk CLML XML — UK Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen
• UK Regulation (EU) 2019/947 - legislation.gov.uk CLML XML — UK Civil Aviation AuthorityOpen

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 United Kingdom

• Do I need to register my drone in United Kingdom?Registration in United Kingdom is governed by a published mass threshold of 0.1 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 United Kingdom?Drone flights in United Kingdom are held to a published general height limit of 120 m above_nearest_obstacle.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in United Kingdom?Whether an operation in United Kingdom 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 Kingdom?Remote pilot competency in United Kingdom 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 Kingdom?Whether drone insurance is required in United Kingdom depends on the aircraft and the operation, as published in the conditions below.

All drone laws in United Kingdom