ZONES
Most airports have an FRZ
The CAA says most airports, airfields and spaceports have a Flight Restriction Zone. Never fly in it without permission from the site.
Check a spotA camera drone and an airliner share the same low sky.
Planes on approach fly low for kilometres before they touch down. That is why most UK airports and airfields are wrapped in a Flight Restriction Zone, and why the CAA asks every drone flyer to check the map before take-off.
- Check the zone map
- Below 120 m, in sight
- Ask before an FRZ
- Simple checks, safer skies
THE SHORT ANSWER
Near a runway,
ask first.
Airports are protected by zones you cannot see.
The Drone Code tells you how to find them.
IN SIGHT
The camera is not your eyes
You must keep the drone in direct sight, without a phone screen, video goggles or a telephoto lens. Flying by camera view needs an observer beside you.
Before you fly
RUNWAY ENDS
5 km out from each end
An airport FRZ includes Runway Protection Zones: 1 km wide strips reaching 5 km out from each runway end, where planes climb and descend.
How the zone is shapedGeneral information only, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a qualified lawyer or a free advice service.
FOUR CHECKS BEFORE TAKE-OFF
A minute of checks,
a safer flight.
None of these needs special kit. They are the habits the Drone Code asks of every flyer, and they matter most anywhere near an airfield.
Look up the zone map
Check FRZs and other restrictions on the NATS airspace map or a drone app. Built-in drone software may be out of date.
Check your IDs
A Flyer ID is needed from 100 g. An Operator ID is needed from 250 g, or from 100 g if the drone has a camera.
Keep it in plain sight
Stay below 120 m (400 ft) and watch the drone itself, not the screen. Listen out for helicopters and light aircraft.
Ask before an FRZ
To fly inside an airport's zone, contact its air traffic control. Contact details are listed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Fewer near misses,
but not none.
UK Airprox Board counts of reports in which
a pilot described meeting a drone.
125
Drone Airprox reports in 2018
In 2018, pilots reported 125 Airprox (near miss) incidents that the UK Airprox Board classed as involving a drone. The rule keeping drones over 1 km from airfield boundaries came in on 29 July 2018.
PEAK YEAR · UK AIRPROX BOARD
51
Drone Airprox reports in 2025
By 2025 the count had fallen to 51 drone reports, with a further 19 involving unknown objects. Flight Restriction Zones were written into the Air Navigation Order in March 2019.
LAST FULL YEAR · UK AIRPROX BOARD
Counts are from the UK Airprox Board's downloadable UA and other Airprox data (updated September 2026). The Board says some objects reported as unknown were probably drones, and vice versa.
A QUICK SPOT CHECK
Where are you
thinking of flying?
Pick a place to see what the Drone Code says about it. The bar shows how strongly the rules restrict flying there without permission.
Based on the UK CAA Drone and Model Aircraft Code and CAA guidance on aerodrome Flight Restriction Zones. This is general information, not legal advice.
HOW THE ZONE IS SHAPED
A cylinder
and two runways.
The CAA describes an aerodrome FRZ in three parts: the Aerodrome Traffic Zone, a cylinder of 2 or 2.5 nautical miles radius centred on the longest runway; Runway Protection Zones, 1 km wide and 5 km long, off each runway end; and extra areas that push the zone out to 1 km beyond the airfield boundary.
Each part reaches 2,000 ft above ground level. Heliport zones have no runway strips, and a spaceport zone is a 5 km radius cylinder around the launch pad. The exact shape depends on each site.
In conversation
Questions people ask
Can I fly a drone near an airport at all?
Not inside its Flight Restriction Zone without permission. The CAA says to contact the site's air traffic control, or the aerodrome operator if you cannot reach ATC, and they will explain their process.
How far does an airport's zone reach?
It depends on the airport. The CAA describes a 2 or 2.5 nautical mile cylinder around the longest runway, plus 1 km wide Runway Protection Zones reaching 5 km out from each runway end, all up to 2,000 ft.
Is my drone's built-in no-fly map enough?
No. The CAA warns that restriction details in a drone's own software may not be up to date, and that you must check a correct, current source such as the NATS map before flying.
Can I fly using the camera view on my phone?
Only with an observer. The Code says you must keep the drone in direct sight without a phone, tablet, goggles or telephoto lens; first-person view flying needs an observer next to you.
What happens if a drone endangers a plane?
The CAA Drone Code says that if you endanger the safety of an aircraft, you could go to prison for five years.
Sources
Each figure on this page comes from the sources below.
- UK CAA: Drone and Model Aircraft Code, where you can fly (points 3 to 9)
- UK CAA: Aerodromes, heliports and spaceports (Flight Restriction Zones)
- UK CAA: Drone Code, flying safely and responsibly (points 1 and 2)
- UK CAA: Getting what you need to fly legally (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- UK Airprox Board: Drones, with UA and other Airprox data