Latvia has a burgeoning community of drone enthusiasts with around 6,000 registered pilots, an increase of more than 60% since 2021, but many more are unlicensed. The Civil Aviation Agency, which regulates the use of drones in the country in line with wider European rules, says around only half of the pilots registered have a qualification in flying an unmanned aircraft.
Under the country’s laws, it is illegal to fly a drone over a military installation and drones must fly at least 8kms away from the airports, 3 kms from heliports and they must be a least 1km away from residential areas. There are also restrictions on how high a drone may fly.