Flying drones in Normandy: zones, paperwork and contacts

Who it is for

• Professional drone operators, French or foreign, planning missions in Calvados, Eure, Manche, Orne or Seine-Maritime
• Production companies preparing a shoot on the D-Day beaches, the Normandy coast or in the Seine valley
• Businesses, ports, industrial sites and local authorities in Normandy commissioning drone work

What this guide does not do: This guide grants no authorisation and does not replace the day's Géoportail map, NOTAMs or the préfecture's response · It does not repeat the general rules (categories, training, registration) in detail: those are covered in the general guide

Contents of the complete guide

1. What is different about flying in Normandy (free extract below)
2. Airports, CTRs and the air base: where you need an agreement
3. Permanent prohibited areas: nuclear, defence, high-hazard industry
4. Natural areas, coastline and heritage: what the aviation map does not always show
5. Normandy's main towns one by one
6. The prior notification in the five départements
7. Recurring events and temporary restrictions
8. Decision table: town, main constraint, formality, lead time
9. Printable regional checklist
10. Official sources and updates

Included: 16 checklist items and 5 decision or reference tables.

Introduction

This regional edition is for anyone who flies, or has someone fly, in Normandy: professional remote pilots, clients (Seine-valley industry, port operators, property managers, local authorities, estate agents) and, very often, film and documentary crews coming from abroad to shoot the D-Day coast. It brings together in one document everything specific to the region: aerodromes and their control zones, permanent prohibited areas (four nuclear sites, a restricted area over Mont-Saint-Michel, defence sites), protected natural areas, a town-by-town rundown, how the prior notification works in the five départements, and the calendar of events that close the sky.

How to read it: chapter 1 gives the big picture, chapter 8 is a quick town-by-town reference, chapter 9 is meant to be printed and carried in the pilot's kit. The other chapters are there for when you prepare a specific job.

Content up to date as of 30 September 2026. Airspace changes: every mission must be checked, address by address, on the official Géoportail drone restriction map and in the publications of the French aeronautical information service, the SIA (AIP, SUP AIP, NOTAM), the day before the flight.

What is different about flying in Normandy

The rules are the same as everywhere in France: EU regulation 2019/947, open and specific categories, 120 m maximum height, and the European standard scenarios STS-01 and STS-02 since the French national scenarios (S1/S2/S3) ended on 31 December 2025. A foreign operator holding a valid EU operator registration and EU pilot certificates can work in France under the same framework, but must follow the French national layers described below. What sets Normandy apart is the combination of constraints on a fairly compact territory. Eight points to know before quoting or scheduling a job.

1. Four nuclear sites under permanent prohibited areas. Flamanville and La Hague in the Cotentin peninsula, Paluel and Penly on the Alabaster Coast: each is covered by a P (prohibited) zone created by ministerial order. No commercial flight can be planned inside.
2. Mont-Saint-Michel is a restricted area. Zone LF-R 12 requires aircraft to fly around the Mount; only an exceptional waiver from the préfet (state representative) of the Manche département allows a flight.
3. The D-Day beaches became a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2026. Six components along about 80 km of coast between Manche and Calvados, many different site managers, an American cemetery run by a US federal agency and, on the Bessin cliffs, a biotope protection order that bans drones.
4. High-hazard industry concentrated on the Seine estuary and valley. Petrochemical complexes and upper-tier Seveso sites from Le Havre to Rouen: no automatic airspace zone, but the operator's written consent, a safety protocol and often a specific-category flight.
5. Five airports and a military air base. Caen-Carpiquet, Deauville-Normandie, Rouen-Vallée de Seine, Le Havre-Octeville and Cherbourg-Maupertus, plus Air Base 105 at Évreux-Fauville: a large share of the urban areas sits inside a control zone.
6. A naval base in Cherbourg. The naval dockyard and the Naval Group site, where France's nuclear submarines are built, are defence sites: overflight is out of the question.
7. A heavy events calendar. D-Day commemorations around 6 June, the Rouen Armada (next edition 17 to 27 June 2027), the Transat Jacques Vabre start in Le Havre, the Deauville American Film Festival: temporary restrictions to anticipate.
8. Wind and tide set the schedule. Exposed coast, cliffs, the vast tidal flats of Mont-Saint-Michel bay: always declare a window of several days rather than a single date.

For the economic context and typical prices, see our Normandy regional guide and, for Calvados, the Calvados département guide.

Frequently asked questions

How do I receive the guide?

Right after payment you are redirected to the complete guide's page. Bookmark it, or print it to PDF (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, “Save as PDF”). Stripe also emails you the receipt.

Do I get an invoice?

Yes: Stripe generates the invoice and emails it. You can enter your company name and VAT number at checkout.

Is the guide kept up to date?

Yes. The guide's page is updated when the rules change; your access stays valid and you always read the latest version.

Does this guide replace the official texts or a training course?

No. C-DRONE is neither the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) nor a training organisation: the guide explains and organises the paperwork, with links to the official sources, which alone are authoritative.

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