Where can I fly in Austria?

The rules of the open category tell you HOW to fly – geo-zones decide WHERE. Austria has more of them than most visitors expect.

Von Benjamin Hetzendorfer · Aktualisiert am 24. Juli 2026 · 5 min Lesezeit

The zone types you will meet

• Control zones (CTR) around airports – Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt: drone flights need clearance; limited low-altitude exceptions apply depending on the zone.
• Restricted and danger areas (military, government) – flights prohibited or restricted.
• Airfields and heliports without a control zone – protection radii apply during operating hours; hospital heliports are scattered through cities and easy to miss.
• Geographical UAS zones published by Austro Control – the authoritative, legally binding source.
• Nature protection – provincial law; national parks are generally no-fly for drones, many reserves restrict them seasonally.

Vienna in one paragraph

Nearly the whole city lies within the Schwechat control zone, overlaid by restricted area LO R15. The practical exception: drones under 250 g may fly up to 30 m above ground without individual clearance. Above that – or with heavier drones – you need clearances that casual visitors will not obtain. Even under the exception: respect privacy, crowds and the usual open-category rules.

The Alps

Away from airfields and reserves, the mountains offer legal flying with spectacular scenery – but check for national parks (Hohe Tauern!), protected areas, cable cars and helicopter routes (rescue and supply flights are frequent). Keep 120 m maximum altitude above ground and your drone in sight – in alpine terrain that is harder than it sounds.