Norway proposes permanent drone no-fly zones around 40 helicopter landing sites

Norway's Civil Aviation Authority has proposed drone restriction zones with a radius of one kilometre around 40 helicopter landing sites, including those at the Rikshospitalet, Ullevål and Haukeland hospitals. Within the zones, drone flights from the ground up to 120 metres would be banned without special permission. The proposal was sent for consultation on 10 November.

The rules would apply from 1 July 2027, permanently and around the clock, whether or not helicopters are flying. The authority cites concerns from the air ambulance and police helicopter services and describes a drone on a collision course with an ambulance helicopter at Rikshospitalet in Oslo, but says it knows of no drone and helicopter collisions at Norwegian hospitals and has no statistics on near misses.

Military, police, ambulance, fire and search and rescue drone missions would be exempt. Comments are due by 15 February 2027.