The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Commonwealth Games, Glasgow) Regulations 2026

Published: Thu 18th Jun 26

These regulations prohibit the operation of unmanned aircraft below 1,200 feet in designated areas of Glasgow during the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The restrictions apply to two specific geographical zones: a multi-point bounded area from July 23 to August 2, and a circular radius around a central point from July 27 to August 1.

These prohibitions apply to all unmanned aircraft unless the operator has obtained specific permission from the Police Scotland Aviation Safety and Security Unit.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State asserts that the restrictions are necessary in the public interest due to the intended gathering of a large number of people at the event.
The Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport state that restrictions are required for reasons of public safety and security.
Proponents may argue that the regulations provide a clear legal framework for Police Scotland to manage airspace via a centralized permission system.

Arguments Against

Recreational and commercial drone operators may argue that the restrictions limit the use of Glasgow's airspace for eleven consecutive days.
Critics might point out that the use of Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) in the document, rather than British Summer Time (BST), could lead to confusion for local operators if not properly cross-referenced.
Legal scholars might question the necessity of a 1,200-foot altitude ceiling for unmanned aircraft which typically operate at much lower altitudes under standard UK drone regulations.

Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Commonwealth Games, Glasgow) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 23rd July 2026.

This section provides the official title of the legislation for legal citation.

It establishes that the regulations legally take effect on July 23, 2026.

Interpretation

The times referred to in regulation 3(1) and (2) are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).

This section specifies the time standard used throughout the document.

It clarifies that all times are in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is one hour behind British Summer Time.

Restricted airspace

-(1) Subject to paragraph (3), beginning with 0600 hours and ending with 2200 hours on each of the eleven days beginning with 23rd July 2026 and ending with 2nd August 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,200 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by the following points-

(a) 555241N 0041724W,
(b) 555242N 0041718W,
(c) 555245N 0041715W,
(d) 555245N 0041714W,
(e) 555247N 0041710W,
(f) 555246N 0041708W,
(g) 555243N 0041703W,
(h) 555241N 0041658W,
(i) 555241N 0041651W,
(j) 555240N 0041645W,
(k) 555237N 0041617W,
(l) 555228N 0041614W,
(m) 555220N 0041608W,
(n) 555215N 0041607W,
(o) 555208N 0041600W,
(p) 555157N 0041604W,
(q) 555157N 0041605W,
(r) 555150N 0041606W,
(s) 555142N 0041608W,
(t) 555133N 0041611W,
(u) 555121N 0041612W,
(v) 555111N 0041613W,
(w) 555106N 0041616W,
(x) 555103N 0041622W,
(y) 555102N 0041625W,
(z) 555101N 0041628W,
(aa) 555100N 0041635W,
(bb) 555100N 0041638W,
(cc) 555059N 0041641W,
(dd) 555058N 0041646W,
(ee) 555057N 0041658W,
(ff) 555058N 0041710W,
(gg) 555100N 0041723W,
(hh) 555100N 0041728W,
(ii) 555058N 0041741W,
(jj) 555103N 0041742W,
(kk) 555103N 0041805W,
(ll) 555114N 0041906W,
(mm) 555130N 0041852W,
(nn) 555143N 0041845W,
(oo) 555151N 0041836W,
(pp) 555202N 0041818W,
(qq) 555214N 0041758W,
(rr) 555233N 0041736W,
(ss) 555237N 0041731W, and
(tt) 555241N 0041724W.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), beginning with 0600 hours and ending with 2200 hours on each of the six days beginning with 27th July 2026 and ending with 1st August 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,200 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 1 nautical mile centred at 555255N 0042032W.

(3) Paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply to any unmanned aircraft flying in accordance with a permission issued by the Police Scotland Aviation Safety and Security Unit.

This section defines the geographical and temporal boundaries of the flight restrictions.

It prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying below 1,200 feet in two specific zones: a polygon defined by 46 coordinates between July 23 and August 2, and a 1-nautical-mile radius circle between July 27 and August 1.

Subsection 3 creates an exception for aircraft that have received prior authorization from the Police Scotland Aviation Safety and Security Unit.

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