UAS.OPEN.010 General provisions

Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 — UAS OPERATIONS IN THE ‘OPEN’ AND ‘SPECIFIC’ CATEGORIES · Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945 · EAR revision 29 Jun 2026

IRImplementing rule

UAS.OPEN.010General provisions

(1)The category of UAS ‘open’ operations is divided into three subcategories A1, A2 and A3, on the basis of operational limitations, requirements for the remote pilot and technical requirements for UAS.

(2)Where the UAS operation involves the flight of the unmanned aircraft starting from a natural elevation in the terrain or over terrain with natural elevations, the unmanned aircraft shall be maintained within 120 metres from the closest point of the surface of the earth. The measurement of distances shall be adapted accordingly to the geographical characteristics of the terrain, such as plains, hills, mountains.

(3)When flying an unmanned aircraft within a horizontal distance of 50 metres from an artificial obstacle taller than 105 metres, the maximum height of the UAS operation may be increased up to 15 metres above the height of the obstacle at the request of the entity responsible for the obstacle.

(4)By way of derogation from point (2), unmanned sailplanes with a MTOM, including payload, of less than 10 kg, may be flown at a distance in excess of 120 metres from the closest point of the surface of the earth, provided that the unmanned sailplane is not flown at a height greater than 120 metres above the remote pilot at any time.

IR · UAS.OPEN.010 — Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945 · Regulation (EU) 2020/639 · UAS Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 29 Jun 2026

GMGuidance material

GM1 UAS.OPEN.010General provisions

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MAXIMUM HEIGHT The remote pilot must ensure that he or she keeps the unmanned aircraft (UA) at a distance less than 120 m (400 ft) from the terrain, and the picture below shows how the maximum height that the UA may reach changes according to the topography of the terrain. In addition, when the Member State (MS) has defined a geographical zone with a lower maximum height, the remote pilot must ensure that the UA always complies with the requirements of the geographical zone. The entity responsible for the artificial obstacle referred to in point UAS.OPEN.010(3) needs to explicitly grant the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operator permission to conduct an operation close to a tall man-made obstacle, e.g. a building, or antenna. No UAS operator should conduct an operation close to such an obstacle without permission from the entity responsible for the obstacle. [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.]

GM · GM1 UAS.OPEN.010 — Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945 · ED Decision 2022/002/R · UAS Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 29 Jun 2026

GMGuidance material

GM1 UAS.OPEN.010(4)General provisions

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OPERATIONS WITH UNMANNED SAILPLANES This derogation was included to allow model gliders to continue to operate along slopes. Strictly applying the 120-metre distance from the closest point of the surface of the earth would have had disproportionate consequences. These operations have been conducted successfully for decades and have generated a micro-economy in certain countries. Two measures have been put in place to reduce the risk:

(a)A maximum takeoff mass (MTOM), including the payload, limited to 10 kg to reduce the consequences of an impact. 10 kg should cover the vast majority of gliders in operation.

(b)The maximum height above the remote pilot is limited to 120 m, which reduces the air risk.

GM · GM1 UAS.OPEN.010(4) — Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945 · ED Decision 2019/021/R · UAS Easy Access Rules · EAR revision 29 Jun 2026

All rules in PART A — UAS OPERATIONS IN THE ‘OPEN’ CATEGORY

Consolidated from the EASA Easy Access Rules (revision 29 Jun 2026, extracted 17 Aug 2026) for convenience. Not the official publication — verify against the Official Journal of the European Union and the EASA publications before operational use.

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