Drone operators near Derry, Londonderry have a restriction to check for 31 October 2026, under The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Derry, Londonderry) Regulations 2026.
The regulations' explanatory note says they "impose restrictions on the flying of unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of Derry, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where the gathering of a large number of persons is due to take place on 31st October 2026."
What is restricted, and when
The restriction reads: "Subject to paragraph (2), during the period beginning with 1600 hours and ending with 2300 hours on 31st October 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,300 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by straight lines joining successively the following points". Paragraph (2) is the exemption set out below.
Those times are in Co-ordinated Universal Time, and the regulations note that UTC "is the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)", so in local time the restriction runs from 4pm to 11pm.
The restriction is written for unmanned aircraft only, and the height limit is measured above mean sea level rather than above the ground.
The one exemption
The restriction does not apply to "any unmanned aircraft flying in accordance with a permission issued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland Silver Commander for Derry Halloween Festival." The explanatory note says that Silver Commander "may be contacted as notified."
Check the coordinates, not a place name
The area is a shape drawn by straight lines between coordinate points listed in regulation 3(1), starting and ending at 550052N 0071942W, so operators with work booked near Derry on 31 October should plot those points rather than rely on a place name.
The regulations were made on 26 October 2026, signed on the authority of the Secretary of State for Transport, and come into force on 31 October 2026. The explanatory note says: "Full details of these Regulations will be promulgated by Briefing Sheet and Notice to Aviation (NOTAM)."