What do the classes A1, A2 and A3 mean?

The subcategories of the operating category "open" provide information on which drone I am authorised to fly (mass) and where I am authorised to fly it (location).

Subcategory A1:

Maximum take-off mass: 900 g
Flight close to bystanders: Allowed

Subcategory A2:

Maximum take-off mass: 4 kg
Flight close to bystanders: Up to 30 m or up to 5 m (the latter in slow flight mode)

Sub-category A3:

Maximum take-off mass: 25 kg
Flight close to bystanders: Prohibited. At least 150 metres away from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.

Instead of talking about maximum take-off mass, we can now also talk about C classes / drone classes. This then means

up to 250 g = C0
up to 900 g = C1
up to 4 kg = C2
up to 25 kg = C3 & C4

The introduction of EU-certified drones to the market is now more topical than ever. Since 1 January 2024, only certified drones may be placed on the market.

Do you still have an existing drone? Post-certification may be possible. More information here.

An overview of currently certified drones in the EU can be found here at EASA.

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