New European safety regulations for the use of drones are now being implemented, from January 2021 onward, according to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

The new European regulations (EU 2019/947 and 2019/945), which will replace existing Irish laws, will require the owners of most drones to register with the IAA.

Only the owners of a small drone weighing less than 250g with no camera or sensor will be exempt from registering.

Such drones include devices which can be used to assist in agriculture, with drones being used for farming in innovative manners in other countries.

Commenting, Peter Kearney, chief executive of the IAA, said that, with the increased use of drones, it is important that owners operate them safely and the new regulations will help to achieve this.

“The new drone regulations have been developed to ensure a consistent approach across Europe to the registration and regulation of drones,” he said.

“The IAA will be transitioning over to the new regulations which apply from January 1.

“We have a user-friendly online registration process to make it easy for owners to register and to carry out the necessary training on the use of drones,” the chief executive added.

For those interested, further details on drone safety regulations can be found on the IAA website.