General Rules
A drone operation in the "Open" category is exempt from authorization by the DAC. It is the operator's responsibility to comply with the rules laid down and the Grand Ducal Police will ensure compliance with the general provisions in force.
In order for a drone to be considered to be in the "Open" category, all of the following conditions must be met:
Sub-categories A1 – A2 – A3
In addition to the general rules of the OPEN category described in the table above, the OPEN category is subdivided into 3 sub-categories, the main purpose of which is the protection of people on the ground.
OPEN A1
UAS with a C0 or C1 class marking
- For operations in the vicinity of persons not involved in the operations
- Overflight of persons not involved in the operation is to be avoided as much as possible
- Flying over gatherings is strictly prohibited
UAS without class marking whose mass is less than 500g (applicable until 1 January 2024)
- For operations in the vicinity of persons not participating in operations
- Overflight of persons not involved in the operation is to be avoided as much as possible
- Flying over gatherings is strictly prohibited
UAS without class markings whose mass is less than 250g (applicable from 1 January 2024)
- For operations in the vicinity of persons not participating in operations
- Overflight of persons not involved in the operation is to be avoided as much as possible
- Flying over gatherings is strictly prohibited
OPEN A2
UAS with a class C2 marking
- For operations at a safe distance from persons not involved in the operation
- UAS operated in OPEN A1 may also be operated in OPEN A2
- Operations are carried out with a horizontal safety distance ("x") of :
- Minimum 30 m from persons NOT involved;
- This distance can be reduced from 30 m to 5 m if the UAS uses the low-speed mode
- In addition, a "1:1" rule applies: if the operator is 80 m above the ground, he must maintain 80 m of horizontal safety distance between the UAS and non-participating persons
UAS without class marking with a mass between 500g and 2kg (applicable until 1 January 2024)
- For operations at a safe distance from non-participating persons
- UAS operated in OPEN A1 may also be operated in OPEN A2
- Operations are performed with a horizontal safety distance ("x") of :
- Minimum 30 m from persons NOT involved;
- This distance may be reduced from 30 m to 10 m if the UAS is operating in a slow flight mode as permitted by the DAC exemption.
- In addition, a "1:1" rule applies: if the operator is flying 80 m above the ground, he must maintain 80 m of horizontal safety distance between the UAS and non-participating persons.
UAS without class marking, whose mass is between 500g and 2kg, will be automatically reclassified as OPEN A3 from 1 January 2024.
OPEN A3
UAS with a C3 or C4 class marking
- For operations without non-participating persons in the area of operations
- The horizontal safety distance must be 150m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas
- UAS operated in OPEN A1 and OPEN A2 may also be operated in OPEN A3
UAS without class marking with a mass between 2kg and 25kg (applicable until 1 January 2024)
- For operations without non-participating persons in the area of operations
- The horizontal safety distance must be 150m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas
- UAS operated in OPEN A1 and OPEN A2 may also be operated in OPEN A3
UAS without class marking with a mass of more than 250g (applicable from 1 January 2024)
- For operations without non-participating persons in the area of operations
- The horizontal safety distance must be 150m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas
- UAS operated in OPEN A1 and OPEN A2 can also be operated in OPEN A3
