Flying a drone in Europe: the common framework, and what each country adds

1 · A common framework, and what stays national

In the European Union, the operation of civil drones follows a common regulation: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, with its mirror design rules. EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, explains it; it applies directly in all member states and has replaced national regulations on what it governs.

Each country keeps control over a few points: geographical zones where flying is prohibited or conditional, fines, the minimum age of the remote pilot, insurance, model flying clubs. That is why the same drone obeys the same categories everywhere, but not the same zones or the same penalties. Glydar’s country guides cover what changes from one country to another; this page covers what does not.

2 · The three flight categories

• ▸Open — low risk: no prior authorisation, provided the limits of the regulation are respected. This is the reference for the majority of leisure flights.
• ▸Specific — moderate risk: as soon as a requirement of the open category is not met, an authorisation from the national authority is required, after a risk assessment.
• ▸Certified — highest risk: certified drone and approved operator, as in crewed aviation (flying over assemblies of people, carrying people or dangerous goods).

3 · The open category, up close

To stay in the open category: a drone of less than 25 kg, kept in the remote pilot’s direct line of sight (or with the help of an observer), flying at 120 metres at most above the ground, without dangerous goods. The operator is registered. Three subcategories are distinguished by the distance to people:

• ▸A1 — flying over uninvolved people is possible (never over an assembly) with a class C0 or C1 drone, or one under 250 g.
• ▸A2 — class C2 drone: no flying over uninvolved people, 30 m horizontally, 5 m with the low-speed function activated. It requires an additional certificate of competency.
• ▸A3 — far from everything: no flying over people, 150 m from uninvolved people and from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas, with class C3 and C4 drones (under 25 kg).

Training, exam, minimum age and insurance depend on the subcategory and the country: they are found in the guide of the country where one flies.

4 · The specific category, up close

As soon as a requirement of the open category is not met — flight beyond direct line of sight, heavier drone, risky professional operation —, the operation moves to the specific category. It can only be carried out after an authorisation from the national aviation authority of the country of registration, or by following a standard scenario. The routes provided for by the regulation:

• ▸STS — the European standard scenarios: in France, STS-01 and STS-02, with a class C5 or C6 drone depending on the scenario, on declaration to the authority.
• ▸PDRA — pre-defined risk assessments (in France: G01, G02, G03, S01, S02), modelled on the SORA method.
• ▸SORA — for any operation outside the previous scenarios: it assesses a ground risk and an air risk, and requires mitigation measures before authorisation.
• ▸LUC — the light UAS operator certificate, which the regulation also provides for: it exempts from authorisation for the operations it covers.

In France, the authority is the DSAC (Directorate for Civil Aviation Safety). In all cases, the operator is registered and has an operations manual.

Glydar’s country guides cover only the open category: the reason, and the link to the country’s official guide, are in the FAQ of each guide.

5 · The certified category, in brief

The certified category targets higher-risk operations. According to article 6 of the regulation, it requires a certified drone and an operation that involves flying over assemblies of people, carrying people or carrying dangerous goods with a high risk for third parties — or that the authority judges the risk impossible to mitigate without certification. EASA cites air taxis and freight.

The drone is certified, the operator approved, and the remote pilot may need to hold a licence: the approach is that of crewed aviation. Autonomous flights are allowed there. This is not the framework for a leisure flight.

6 · Penalties: they are national

The European regulation sets the rules; fines are a matter for each country, and vary from one country to another. They appear at the end of each country guide, with their legal reference. This European guide cites none: it could not know which applies to your flight.

7 · Your responsibility, and what Glydar does

Glydar informs; it exempts from nothing. Its guides and its map draw on official sources but are not an official source, do not guarantee that they are exhaustive or up to date, and do not amount to authorisation to fly. The remote pilot remains solely responsible for the flight, as the terms of use recall.

To check: the official sources below, the guide of the country flown over, and the coverage, country by country to know what Glydar’s map displays — or does not display.