I was a bit surprised about drone restrictions in Austria. During my trips, I tend to take my drone with me. This just enables me to get great photos, and get the view, I would probably not be able to gain so easily. Getting back on track. As mentioned, also for my trip to Austria I took my drone with me. I thought, I have the license, so it should be easy to get in the air.
Last year I passed the official EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) test, and get the drone pilot license. I will probably share at some point more details about this, as the work put by EASA to do standardization around UAV flying is amazing. Just cutting to the chase, right now you can do one test and be allowed to fly the drone (within the category of your license) across whole European Union.
Just a few basic rules to understand
Basically, there is one common, standardized drone regulation for whole European Union. This is managed by EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency). It is applicable to all member countries. However, as always with standardization, there are exceptions. Of course, there are.
While preparing for flying the drone, you should open one of the apps to check the area around you. In my case, this was DJI created app. This shows you, whether the area is in red zone (no fly zone) or green zone (fly zone). Also it highlights other restrictions. For example, this can be the maximum altitude you can fly within this area.
What are the drone restrictions in Austria?
For details on drone restrictions in Austria can visit Austro Control website. But in general, you have to be of certain age, above 16 years old. You require an official permission (by Austro Control) to fly over crowded areas. You also need to have liability insurance for all drone pilots.
The quite important rules are related to permit requirements for non-commercial purpose:
- One of the rule is connected to altitude of flight, and in the case of intention to exceed 30m above the ground level, you must apply for a permit.
- Another rule is about photos or videos. If you want to record your flight in any way, regardless of drone mass, you have to obtain the permit for doing so.
More of the summary on flying drones in Austria.
Fines and costs related to drone flying in Austria
Here a bit sad part of drone flying in Austria. Let’s start with fulfilling regulation requirements. So, obtaining the permit for a year costs above 300 euros.
The more expensive side of this entertainment are fines. If you fly without license or proper license or someone files a complaint, this can lead to a 22k euros fine.
My drone just had a nice trip to Austria
Unfortunately, this time my drone just had a nice trip, without flying. I didn’t apply in advance for the permit to fly and take photos. Therefore, I could not fly with the drone in the area I stayed. Just to be on the safe side, in case you want to fly in Austria apply for the permit in advance.
