Drone filming near an airport: how FRZ permission actually works
The Leeds Bradford routine
Every returning series I work on eventually puts a location inside an airport's Flight Restriction Zone. On Canal Boat Diaries it happens every year, because the Leeds & Liverpool Canal runs straight under the approach to Leeds Bradford Airport. So I've done this a lot — enough to know that the permission itself is rarely the problem.
This is how it actually works, from the operator's side. I've used Leeds Bradford (LBA) as the worked example because it's the one I deal with most. Every airport runs its own version, but the shape is the same everywhere.
The problem is finding out about it at 11pm the night before, when the schedule has already gone out.
What an FRZ actually is
Every licensed airport and most airfields in the UK has a Flight Restriction Zone around it, and no drone of any size can fly inside it without permission from the airport's air traffic control. Not "shouldn't". Can't. It's a criminal offence — LBA's own page quotes up to five years.
The zone is bigger, and a stranger shape, than most people expect. It's three pieces glued together:
All of it goes from the ground up to 2,000 ft. All of it is live 24 hours a day, whether or not the airport is open, so you still need permission at 3am on a Sunday. And it applies to every drone: a 249 g Mini is treated exactly the same as an Inspire.
One more thing worth saying plainly, because I get asked: my CAA operational authorisation lets me do things a hobbyist can't, like working closer to people. It does not let me fly in an FRZ. Nothing does, except the tower.
What the CAA says about flying near airports
This is the Civil Aviation Authority’s own guidance, from the Drone and Model Aircraft Code and its page on aerodromes, in plain English.
Sources: CAA Drone Code, where you can fly and CAA aerodromes, heliports and spaceports.
- Stay well away from airports, airfields, spaceports and aircraft. That is point 7 of the CAA’s Drone and Model Aircraft Code.
- Most of them have a Flight Restriction Zone. You must not fly in it without permission, and only the airport, airfield or spaceport itself can give that permission.
- To ask, contact the air traffic control unit at the site and they will explain their process. If you can’t reach ATC, contact the aerodrome operator. Contact details are in the UK AIP.
- An aerodrome can grant or refuse access on any reasonable grounds, including aviation safety and security.
- Some smaller airfields have no FRZ and may not show on maps or apps. You still must not fly on or near them where you could endanger aircraft. Look for light aircraft and airfield buildings nearby.
- Check a correct, current source before every flight. The NATS airspace map and drone apps show FRZs, but short-notice restrictions may not appear, and the restrictions built into drone software can be out of date.
- Stay below 120 m (400 ft), and keep watching and listening for low-flying aircraft such as air ambulances, police helicopters and military aircraft.
- Flying may also be restricted near prisons, military ranges, royal palaces and government buildings, and banned temporarily for airshows, festivals and similar events.
- Keep out of the way of the emergency services. If an incident starts near where you are flying, stop straight away unless they tell you that you can carry on.
- The Code’s warning in its own words: “If you endanger the safety of an aircraft, you could go to prison for five years.”
Where to check for airports, prisons and other no-fly zones
No single map shows everything, so check more than one, and check again on the day.
- thedronemap.com is where I start. It is a free map of airspace hazards for drone pilots, and one look shows the airports, prisons and other restricted areas around a location.
- The airport’s own FRZ map. Leeds Bradford publishes one on its drone page, and most airports do the same.
- The UK AIP from NATS. It is the official reference, and it lists every protected aerodrome with its contact details.
- The NATS airspace restrictions map, which the CAA points pilots to for FRZs and other restricted areas.
- NOTAMs, for short-notice restrictions such as air shows, royal visits and major events. Check the week before and again on the morning.
- Your own eyes on the recce. Windsocks, hangars, parked light aircraft and helipads don’t always show on a map.
What it looks like at Leeds Bradford
Nobody plans a shoot around an airport. They plan a shoot around a canal, a country house or a housing estate that happens to sit under an approach path.
At LBA the 2.5-mile circle takes in Yeadon, Rawdon, Guiseley, Horsforth, Bramhope, Cookridge, Calverley, Apperley Bridge and Rodley, and the two runway strips reach out over Guiseley towards Wharfedale in one direction and down over Horsforth towards Kirkstall in the other. On the canal, the stretch from roughly Rodley to Apperley Bridge is inside the zone. That's two or three days of a boat's progress, and a lot of very nice aerials.
The way to check any location is a proper airspace map — the airport's own FRZ map or a map such as thedronemap.com will tell you in ten seconds. Don't rely on the map inside the drone manufacturer's app. That's a geofence, which is a software thing, not the law, and unlocking it is a separate step that doesn't replace anything below.
The Leeds Bradford routine, step by step
Apply to ATC, not the press office.
LBA's published route is an email to atc@lba.co.uk at least 48 hours before the flight, giving the location, the maximum height and the date and duration. They've also taken requests through Altitude Angel's approvals portal since 2024, and I've used both. For anything time-critical I'll ring the tower as well: a two-minute call answers a question that would otherwise take three emails.
Give a controller what a controller needs, first time.
The requests that come back fast are the ones nobody has to query. Mine include the exact take-off spot and the area I'll be working, as a pin and a map screenshot rather than a postcode; the maximum height I'm asking for, which is never more than the shot needs; the date with a start-to-finish window rather than a single time; the aircraft and its weight; my operator ID, my CAA authorisation reference and my insurance; and a mobile number that will actually be answered on the day. A what3words address is even more useful than a pin drop: three words fix the take-off spot to a three-metre square, and they are easy to read out to the tower over the phone.
Allow a working week, not 48 hours.
Forty-eight hours is LBA's minimum. In practice a clean request comes back in two to three working days. I ask a week ahead when I can, and longer if the schedule's tight or there's a bank holiday in the way, because "may be declined or deferred" is written into their process and they mean it. Permission is always subject to what's landing and taking off that day.
Read the conditions. They're the real permission.
What comes back isn't a blanket yes. It's a yes with conditions: a height cap, the agreed window, and a requirement to speak to the tower before and after every flight. In my case that means a direct number, a call fifteen minutes before I launch and another once I'm down. Every flight, not every day. The tower can hold me on the ground if something's on approach and can tell me to land at any moment. That isn't a hassle. That's the system working.
On the day: ring, fly, ring.
Call, quote the reference, say where I am and what height, get the nod. Fly. Land. Call again. If the controller says "give it ten minutes", we give it ten minutes. On a canal boat that's rarely a crisis, because the boat is doing four miles an hour anyway. Permission granted in advance is not a guarantee. The tower can still say no when you phone through on the day, for any number of reasons, and the airport doesn’t have to tell you what they are.
Log it.
Every one of these flights goes into the flight log and the day's risk assessment, so the production has an audit trail if a broadcaster, an insurer or the CAA ever asks.
What this means for your schedule
The permission is rarely the problem. The lead time is.
It’s not only airports
Two other things catch productions out on the same kind of route.
Prisons. Since 25 January 2024 it's an offence to fly within 400 m of a closed prison or young offender institution in England and Wales. The canal passes within sight of HMP Leeds at Armley, so that circle gets checked on the same recce as the airport. There’s no 48-hour email for a prison. If a shot needs to be inside that ring you need an exemption from HM Prison and Probation Service, applied for through the CAA’s notification form with at least 28 days’ notice, and you should assume the answer may be no.
Temporary restrictions. Air shows, royal visits and big events put short-notice restrictions in place through NOTAMs, and some events come with their own rules. At Henley this June, a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flypast meant hard "drone on the ground by" times either side of it. Those are the kind of thing an operator should be checking the week before and the morning of, not something a PM should have to know about.
And every other airport has its own form, its own lead time and its own temperament. Some turn a request round in a day; some want a fortnight. If a series moves through more than one zone, each one is a separate permission.
What every drone pilot needs to know about airports
The Leeds Bradford routine is one airport. These are the rules and habits that apply wherever you fly in the UK.
What to send your drone operator
Five things, as early as you have them: the location pins; the dates, with the widest window you can live with; the shots you want and roughly how high they need to be; who I should ring if the day changes; and when the schedule locks. With that, I can tell you within a day whether a location is a form or a problem.
- 01Location pins, or better, what3words
- 02Dates and the widest window
- 03The shots and their height
- 04Who to ring on the day
- 05When the schedule locks
The terms you’ll hear
Frequently asked questions
Do I need airport permission for a drone under 250 g?
Yes. A Flight Restriction Zone applies to every unmanned aircraft, whatever it weighs.
How long does Leeds Bradford take to approve a drone flight?
Their minimum notice is 48 hours. In practice a complete request comes back in two to three working days. Ask a week ahead.
Does FRZ permission cost anything?
It depends on the airport. Some charge a fee to put the permission in place and some don’t. LBA’s published email route doesn’t mention a charge. Where there is a fee it is usually paid when you apply, often through a portal such as Altitude Angel. Ask early so it can go in the budget.
Can we fly at night when the airport is closed?
No. The FRZ is active 24 hours a day regardless of the airport's opening hours. You still need permission.
Who applies, the production or the drone operator?
The operator. It's part of the job, and the tower wants to talk to the person who'll be flying.
What if the schedule changes after permission is granted?
Tell your operator straight away. The permission is tied to the agreed date, time and location, and a moved day usually needs a fresh confirmation from ATC.
What happens if ATC refuses on the day?
They can, and occasionally do, because live traffic always wins. A good operator will already have looked at what's possible from outside the zone. Permission granted in advance is not a guarantee. The tower can still say no when you phone through on the day, for any number of reasons, and the airport doesn’t have to tell you what they are.
How big is the Leeds Bradford Airport drone no-fly zone?
A circle of 2.5 nautical miles, about 4.6 km, around the airfield, plus a strip 5 km long and 1 km wide off each end of the runway. It runs from the ground to 2,000 ft.
What is the penalty for flying a drone in an FRZ without permission?
It is a criminal offence. Leeds Bradford Airport quotes a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Do I need permission to fly a drone just outside the FRZ?
Not from the airport. You must still follow the Drone Code, stay below 400 ft and never endanger an aircraft. Leeds Bradford suggests telling West Yorkshire Police about flights near the zone.
Can a hobby pilot get FRZ permission, or only commercial operators?
Anyone can ask. The process is the same for recreational and commercial pilots, and the tower decides each request on safety grounds.
Does my drone’s geofence unlock count as permission?
No. A geofence is the manufacturer’s software. Unlocking it is a separate step and gives you no legal permission to fly in the zone.
How do I get permission to fly a drone near a prison?
You need an exemption from HM Prison and Probation Service, requested through the CAA’s notification form at least 28 days ahead. The restriction covers 400 m around closed prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales.
Do I need a green flashing light to fly near an airport at night?
It isn’t an FRZ rule, but it applies to the flight. Since 1 January 2026 a drone flown at night must show a flashing green light. You still need the tower’s permission, day or night.
Send me the pins and the dates
Planning something near an airport? Send me the pins and the dates — phil@halovue.co.uk or 07957 627 628 — and I'll tell you within a day whether it's a form or a problem. Halo Vue holds a CAA PDRA-01 operational authorisation, £5m public liability cover and broadcaster approvals with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix and Disney+.
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