The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Cardiff) Regulations 2026

Published: Tue 14th Jul 26

These Regulations prohibit the operation of unmanned aircraft within a specific circular area in Cardiff on 16 July 2026.

The flight ban applies below 1,100 feet above mean sea level between 11:00 and 16:00 UTC to ensure public safety during a VIP visit and a large public gathering.

The restrictions apply to all unmanned aircraft pilots and operators, except those granted specific permission by the South Wales Police Drone Team.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State asserts that the restriction is necessary in the public interest for reasons of public safety and security.
The document cites the intended gathering of a large number of persons and a scheduled VIP visit as the specific grounds for the restriction.
The Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport have reached an agreement that these measures are required for security purposes.
The restriction allows for flexibility by permitting flights that have been authorized by the South Wales Police Drone Team.

Arguments Against

Recreational and commercial drone operators may face disruption to planned activities within the 0.5 nautical mile radius of the restricted area.
The use of Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) in the regulations, which is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST), may lead to confusion for operators who do not account for the time difference.
Civil liberties groups sometimes raise concerns that temporary no-fly zones for VIP visits can limit independent aerial filming or observation of public gatherings.

Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Cardiff) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 16th July 2026.

This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally effective. The rules apply starting from 16 July 2026.

Interpretation

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

This section specifies that all clock times mentioned in the prohibited flying periods are recorded in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC).

In accordance with the document's footnotes, UTC is one hour behind British Summer Time.

Restricted airspace

-(1) Subject to paragraph (2), during the period beginning with 1100 hours and ending with 1600 hours on 16th July 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,100 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 0.5 of a nautical mile whose centre is at 512912N 0031049W.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any unmanned aircraft flying in accordance with the permission of the South Wales Police Drone Team.

This section defines a temporary no-fly zone for unmanned aircraft (drones) with a 0.5 nautical mile radius around a specific set of coordinates in Cardiff.

The ban is active from 11:00 to 16:00 UTC on 16 July 2026 for any altitude below 1,100 feet above mean sea level.

Operators are exempt from this prohibition if they have obtained prior permission from the South Wales Police Drone Team.

Failure to comply with these flight restrictions generally constitutes an offense under the Air Navigation Order 2016.

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