What are the requirements under the subcategories of the ‘open’ category?
According to the class identification label of the drone or the weight, in the case of privately built drones, they can be operated in different conditions as described below:
Drones bearing a CE class 0 mark or that are privately built and weigh up to 250 g can fly in subcategory A1, which means almost everywhere, except over assemblies of people, or areas that the state has forbidden by imposing a restriction on the flight of drones (please consult the website of your National Aviation Authority. See https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa ).
Drones bearing a class identification label 1 can also be operated in subcategory A1 with the difference that you are required to minimise flying over uninvolved people.
Drones bearing a class identification label 2 can be operated in subcategory A2, which means in urban environments, however, you are required to keep a safe distance from any uninvolved people. As a rule, this minimum distance should be equal to the height at which the drone is flying (e.g. if you are flying at a height of 30 m, make sure that the closest uninvolved person is at least 30 m from the position where the drone would vertically fall in the event of an incident). In any case, this distance must never be less than 5 m. In addition, you can also fly in the conditions defined for subcategory A3. Finally, you must avoid flying in areas that the state has forbidden by imposing a restriction on the flight of drones.
(Please consult the website of your National Aviation Authority for additional information.
See https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa).
Drones bearing a class identification label 3 or 4 , or that are privately built and weigh up to 25 kg, can be operated in subcategory A3. That means that they can never be operated in urban environments that you need to keep the drone at least 150 m from residential, commercial or industrial areas, and to only operate in areas where no uninvolved people are present in the range where the drone can be operated. In any case, you must avoid flying in areas that the state has forbidden by imposing a restriction on the flight of drones (please consult the website of your National Aviation Authority for additional information, see https://www.easa.europa.eu/domains/civil-drones/naa)
For the full image of requirements and limitations applicable to different classes of drones and conducted operations, please refer to the tables below:
Table 1 — ‘Open’ category, applicable until 31 December 2023
Table 2 — ‘Open’ category, applicable from 1 January 2024
