The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo) Regulations 2026

Published: Fri 24th Jul 26

These Regulations prohibit the flight of unmanned aircraft, commonly known as drones, below 1,500 feet above mean sea level in a defined area around Edinburgh Castle during the 2026 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The restrictions apply to all unmanned aircraft operators during specified evening hours between 7 August and 29 August 2026, unless they have obtained specific permission from the Police Scotland Aviation Safety and Security Unit.

The measure is intended to protect the large crowds attending the event.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State asserts that these restrictions are necessary in the public interest because a large number of people are expected to gather for the event.
The explanatory note states that the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree the restrictions are required for public safety and security.
Proponents of the measure indicate that the restrictions provide a controlled environment by allowing only authorized unmanned aircraft to operate via Police Scotland permission.

Arguments Against

Legal scholars or recreational users might argue that the specific coordinate-based boundaries and the use of Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) created complexities for operators calculating local British Summer Time (BST) restrictions.
Privacy or civil liberties groups might question the necessity of the 1,500-foot altitude threshold if lower altitudes would suffice to protect the public gathering.
Commercial drone operators may encounter implementation difficulties or loss of business if they are unable to secure timely permissions from the Police Scotland Aviation Safety and Security Unit.

Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 7th August 2026.

This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active as 7 August 2026.

This allows the restrictions to coincide with the beginning of the scheduled public event.

Interpretation

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

This section defines the time standard used for the flying restrictions.

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

Restricted airspace

-(1) Subject to paragraph (3), during the periods specified in paragraph (2) no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,500 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by straight lines joining successively the following points-

(a) 555701N 0031147W,
(b) 555658N 0031137W,
(c) 555655N 0031137W,
(d) 555651N 0031149W,
(e) 555649N 0031209W,
(f) 555658N 0031217W, and
(g) 555701N 0031147W.

(2) The periods referred to in paragraph (1) begin with 1500 hours and end with 2259 hours on-

(a) each of the two days of 7th August 2026 and 8th August 2026,
(b) each of the six days beginning with 10th August 2026 and ending with 15th August 2026,
(c) each of the six days beginning with 17th August 2026 and ending with 22nd August 2026, and
(d) each of the six days beginning with 24th August 2026 and ending with 29th August 2026.

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

This section prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying below 1,500 feet within a specific geographical area defined by seven sets of coordinates near Edinburgh Castle.

These restrictions apply between 15:00 and 22:59 UTC on specified dates throughout August 2026.

The flight ban is not absolute, as it allows for exceptions if an operator has received written permission from the Police Scotland Aviation Safety and Security Unit.

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