Drone ban ordered over London for coronation ceremonies

Fans of UAV tourism and event videography will find their aerial ambitions confounded in London this weekend with flight restrictions related to the coronation of King Charles III grounding all drone and small plane flights below 2,500 feet in the British capital.

The ban on drone flights in central London runs from Friday morning to 8 p.m. local time Saturday night. Given the massive security deployment for the event – with over 1,000 uniformed and plainclothes police officers patrolling the procession route for potential trouble – frustrated UAV enthusiasts would be wise to leave their controllers at home and resist the temptation to steal a bird’s-eye view of proceedings.

The prohibition of drone operation was announced in a NOTAM issued Thursday by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and the nation’s NATS air traffic control administration. It stipulates the flight restriction across the area applies to all aircraft other than official police, emergency medical, defense, and (of course) specific royal aircraft. 

In contrast to drone and plane prohibitions over London during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September, passenger traffic in and out of Heathrow Airport is not expected to be disrupted.

Read: UK bans central London drone flights until queen’s burial Monday

In addition to concerns about risks to crowds by overhead craft or potentially nefarious uses of UAVs, the ban on drones and planes seeks to clear the skies of London for a flypast by over 60 Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force jets Saturday afternoon.

Read: UK pilot heavily fined for drone flight during historic plane flypast

Any stymied drone pilots on hand for the event catching a glimpse of apparently illicit UAVs aloft cannot necessarily expect to see their schadenfreude satisfied by a sudden, massive police dogpile of the offending operator. Security authorities have been cleared to fly their craft for security and crowd monitoring purposes throughout the weekend of pageantry and performances, and will have those in the air on a rolling basis.

“We’ve got drone capability, specialist investigation teams, security screening, and search for the concert, and vehicle barriers to prevent vehicles causing a danger to the public,” said Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt of Thames Valley Police. “All of these tactics are aimed at ensuring that we can deliver a safe, secure, and enjoyable event.”

In addition to the procession, coronation, and other royal rituals that will unfold Saturday, the wider list of festivities also features drone and lasers being used around London to illuminate some of the city’s best-known landmarks – an aerial spectacle taking place Sunday evening once the flight ban has ended.