More airspace for drones around civil airports from 26 November

It has taken a long time, but the revision of the airspace around Dutch airports is now final. From 26 November 2026, parts of the civil Control Zones (CTRs) around five airports will be opened up for drone flights. In those areas, drone pilots will no longer have to request permission from air traffic control in advance. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management developed the new layout together with Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL).

The exact zoning is set out in the Regulation of 23 September 2026, published in Staatscourant 2026, 33389. Below we set out that layout step by step.

What exactly is a CTR?

A Control Zone, or CTR, is the air traffic control area around an airport. Such a zone typically extends to roughly fifteen kilometres from the runway and reaches from the ground to about three thousand feet. Within that zone, regular air traffic is actively separated.

Until now, a single obligation applied to drones across the entire CTR: contact air traffic control before you may fly there. That rule placed load not only on the pilot but also on the controllers themselves. Every request requires human assessment, while most of those requests concern flights that do not actually conflict with manned traffic.

What changes from 26 November 2026

From that date, the radiotelephony requirement lapses in the newly designated parts of the CTR. The logic is spatial: at roughly five kilometres from the airport and beyond, departing and arriving manned traffic is generally already at greater altitude. The regulation divides the civil CTR into five zones, each with its own distance, altitude limit and regime.

The heart of the change lies in zone 3. From roughly five kilometres, flights in the open, specific and certified category are permitted without responsibility on the part of the air traffic service provider. That is precisely the area where a general prohibition on the open category previously applied.

In zones 1, 2A and 2B the open category remains forbidden. Within two kilometres the risk of interaction with manned traffic is greatest; up to five kilometres, regular traffic on the obstacle surfaces still flies too low to admit open category drones. Access to zones 1, 2B and 4 is only possible if the flight is announced and authorised under the procedure in Annex 1a, if clearance is obtained before departure, if two-way radio communication is maintained and if air traffic control instructions are followed. Within 30 metres of obstacles such as buildings and wind turbines, part of those conditions falls away.

Filing carries a lead time. Within airport opening hours, a flight plan must be submitted at least two working days before the flight, before 10:00. One plan suffices for a contiguous series of flights within the same flight area, unless more than sixty minutes separates two flights. In zone 2A and 3, and in zone 2B and 4 close to obstacles, air traffic control provides no traffic information and no avoidance advice about drones to manned aircraft. Responsibility for keeping clear therefore rests entirely with the drone pilot.

The zones follow the geographical boundary of the CTR rather than whether control is active at that moment, and therefore also apply outside the airport's opening hours.

Which airports the change applies to

The changes relate exclusively to civil CTRs. The new layout applies to five airports:

The annex contains an official map for each airport.

For each of those five airports the new layout takes effect from 26 November 2026. Want to know how filing works in military CTRs? See our drone map of the Netherlands.

Consequences for the Specific category too

The changes are not limited to the Open category. For operators flying in the EASA Specific category, matters also change: in zone 3, radiotelephony (RT) is no longer required. That is relevant for companies carrying out infrastructure inspections or terrain management around an airport. Where an RT obligation previously applied on top of the operational authorisation, that extra condition disappears in the outer zone.

Note the distinction between the zones: in zone 2A the specific category may fly up to 45 metres without responsibility on the part of the air traffic service provider, whereas zone 2B falls under the same conditions as zone 1. You can read more on our page about drone pilots.

Why this change is being introduced now

The rationale is twofold. On the one hand the current rules place considerable load on air traffic control, which must free up capacity for every request. On the other, those same rules limit the useful deployment of drones in places where it can be done safely. The ministry explicitly cites inspections of dykes and vital infrastructure, nature management and innovative applications. Clearer boundaries also produce a clearer enforcement framework. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate supervises the new zoning, together with the police and the Royal Marechaussee.

New zones in GoDrone and Aeret

The new layout will in time be visible in the usual digital sources for drone pilots: the GoDrone app and Aeret. That also applies to the military CTRs, which are being added to the national geo-zoning file.

Professional operators increasingly record their preparation in a drone management platform. DroneDeck combines a map of all airspaces and geo zones with flight plans, risk assessments and checklists in a single environment. Also read our background article on Dronedeck as a drone management platform. Around 26 November, always check the current version of the map.

What remains prohibited after 26 November

It is tempting to read the new layout as a general relaxation around airports. It is not. Other geographical zones remain in force, for example around heliports or vital infrastructure. Because overlapping zones work cumulatively, a stricter zone can fully override the wider CTR layout in that spot.

The general rules of the Open category also continue to apply in full, such as the maximum flight height and the distance rules to crowds. For the Specific category, the conditions of the operational authorisation continue to apply. An exemption from radiotelephony is not a free pass: the risk assessment, the mitigation measures and the requirements around night flights or flying outside the Uniform Daylight Period (UDP) continue to apply.

Practical checklist for the transition

For operators who work regularly around one of the five airports, it is wise to prepare the transition in a structured way:

• Check the current map: use GoDrone or Aeret and verify whether your regular flight location falls in zone 3, the only part of the civil CTR where the open category is permitted.
• Measure the distance: establish whether you operate at or beyond the roughly five-kilometre boundary. Within that radius clearance remains mandatory.
• Determine your altitude band: between two and five kilometres a different regime applies below 45 metres than above it.
• Inventory other zones: also check for heliports, vital infrastructure and other restrictions that do not change along with this one.
• Brief your crew: make sure pilots and observers know the new boundaries, including the distinction between civil and military CTRs.

Responsibility for safety ultimately rests with the pilot. Broader regulation is no substitute for good preparation and a current picture of the airspace.

The wider picture: airspace revision in the Netherlands

The measure is part of a long-announced revision of the airspace around civil airports. In doing so, the Netherlands is in line with developments elsewhere in Europe, where several countries have revised their CTR regimes for drones. Germany, for instance, recently relaxed its rules for drone flights in CTR airspace.

The new layout is at the same time a first step, not an end point. The ministry monitors airspace use and evaluates the zoning periodically. Local parties can request an additional geo zone through the zoning counter on grounds of privacy, safety, the environment or security.

Frequently asked questions about the new CTR layout

From what date do the rules around civil airports change?
The new layout of the civil Control Zones takes effect on 26 November 2026. From that date, no radio contact with air traffic control is required in zone 3, the outer part of the CTR.

Which airports does the new layout apply to?
The change applies to the civil CTRs around Amsterdam Schiphol, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Groningen Eelde, Maastricht Aachen Airport and Lelystad Airport. Around military airports the existing restrictions remain unchanged.

Do I still need to make contact within five kilometres of an airport?
That differs per zone. In zone 2A the specific and certified category may fly without responsibility on the part of the air traffic service provider. In zone 1 and zone 2B clearance remains mandatory, with two-way radio contact and a flight plan filed in advance.

How far in advance must I file a flight?
For zones 1, 2B and 4, a flight plan must be submitted within airport opening hours at least two working days before the flight and before 10:00. For military CTRs a filing period of at least 24 hours applies.

How high may I fly in the new zones?
In zones 1, 2A, 2B and 3 an upper limit of 120 metres above ground applies, with an additional 45-metre limit in zone 2A. Above 120 metres zone 4 begins.

Where can I see which zones apply at my flight location?
The new zones will be included in the usual digital sources for drone pilots, including the GoDrone app and Aeret. Check the current map before every flight.