Drone use triples in Finland, but no one monitors airspace

Drone flying in Finland has tripled in five years, while monitoring remains largely the responsibility of individual pilots, Yle reports. A Kokkola-based drone expert says many pilots do not know the basic rules and that some operate without permission.

More than 43,000 remote pilots were registered in Finland by August 2026, compared with just over 13,000 five years earlier. Drones are used by hobbyists as well as police, farmers, surveyors and real estate agents. Finland has also conducted several trials involving commercial drone traffic.

Pentti Etelä-Aho, a development engineer at the drone laboratory of Centria University of Applied Sciences, has 20 years of experience flying drones. He says he has encountered several near-misses and wants better monitoring to improve safety.

At present, only the police monitor drone flights, and the resources available vary between regions. Etelä-Aho says many pilots fly without knowing basic requirements, including the need to keep the drone within direct visual line of sight in many situations.

Newer drones have safety sensors that warn pilots when an object approaches, but older models do not. Etelä-Aho says he has experienced situations in which another drone suddenly appeared nearby.

Safety relies on self-monitoring

Under the current system, pilots are responsible for assessing the safety of their own flights. There is no air traffic control for drones because authorities estimate that the volume of drone traffic remains low.

If a pilot breaks a rule during a flight, they are expected to report the incident themselves to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom. Pasi Takala, a unit manager at the agency, says relatively few reports have been submitted and that self-monitoring is currently sufficient.

“The regulations can be considered successful, and on their basis it has been possible to ensure that there have been very few near-miss situations,” Takala says.

Flights that are riskier than ordinary hobby flying, such as drone deliveries, require an operational authorisation under the specific category. These flights also rely on self-monitoring, supplemented by spot checks.

Different rules apply to different flights

In the open category, users of drones weighing more than 250 grams or equipped with a camera must register, learn the rules and pass an examination. No separate operational authorisation is required. The drone must remain within direct visual line of sight, weigh less than 25 kilograms and fly no higher than 120 metres.

The specific or certified category allows flights without direct visual contact and at altitudes above 120 metres. Drones weighing more than 25 kilograms can also be used. The pilot must be registered, and the operation requires a Traficom authorisation, notification and risk assessment.

Commercial drone flight trials are also taking place. In Seinäjoki, West Avia is planning small-scale deliveries from the Ideapark shopping centre to customers’ homes.

The project plans to establish a permissive UAS airspace zone in the region. A supervisor would inform other traffic, for example by radio, when a drone is in the air.