Regulatory Compliance One provider, fully authorised across both jurisdictions. We handle the regulations.

Regulatory compliance means peace of mind for you

You don’t need to know where it is safe or legal to fly a drone over your asset. That is our job. When you bring us in, we do the regulatory legwork: airspace checks, operational authorisations, site-specific risk assessments, and any compliance documentation required — RAMS, permit applications, data protection impact assessments — produced and submitted as part of our standard pre-flight process. The sections below set out what that compliance looks like across the two jurisdictions we operate in.

Republic of Ireland

Commercial drone operations in the Republic of Ireland are governed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 — the EASA framework that classifies all drone operations into Open, Specific, and Certified categories — given domestic legal effect by S.I. No. 24 of 2023 (Irish Aviation Authority (Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones)) Order 2023). The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is the competent authority responsible for operator registration, pilot certification, and operational authorisations.

Engineers With Drones holds EASA Specific Category Operational Authorisation, Authorisation Number IRL.UAS.AUTH1002 — the first company in Ireland to be granted authorisation at this level. The Specific Category permits operations that fall outside the Open category: over populated areas, near airports, above sensitive infrastructure, and in environments where standard Open Category operators cannot legally fly. Our pilots hold the General VLOS Certificate (GVC) required for Specific Category operations. All equipment meets the technical standards defined in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, including C-class markings and Direct Remote Identification (DRI) broadcasting requirements.

Commercial insurance for all ROI operations meets the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 785/2004. Before any flight in a controlled or restricted zone, airspace authorisation is obtained through the IAA AirSpace app. Where an operation requires a formal Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS), this is produced and submitted as part of our standard pre-flight process.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland operates under UK aviation law, which diverged from the EU regulatory framework following Brexit and is now maintained independently. The primary legislative instruments are the Air Navigation Order 2016 (SI 2016/765) — specifically Schedule 8, which governs unmanned aviation within UK airspace — and CAP 722 (Civil Aviation Publication 722, “Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace”), the Civil Aviation Authority’s primary document defining acceptable means of compliance for commercial operations.

Engineers With Drones holds UK CAA operational authorisation for commercial drone operations in Northern Ireland. Our pilots hold UK Flyer IDs and A2 Certificates of Competency (A2 CofC) where applicable. Commercial insurance for all NI operations meets the requirements of retained Regulation (EC) No 785/2004. Airspace authorisations for controlled or restricted zones are obtained through the NATS/DroneAssist system or the CAA’s drone airspace portal before each operation.

Cross-border operations

The island of Ireland is two entirely separate aviation regulatory environments. An Operational Authorisation granted by the IAA under EU 2019/947 is not valid for flights in Northern Ireland. A CAA Operational Authorisation is not valid in the Republic of Ireland. Operating commercially across both jurisdictions requires separate registrations, separate authorisations, and separate airspace management procedures — a compliance burden that most Irish drone operators have not resolved.

Engineers With Drones holds the operational authorisations required by each regulator to fly in both jurisdictions. If you have assets on both sides of the border — or a single project that spans both — there is no regulatory gap, no delay to mobilisation, and no need to source two separate providers. The administrative groundwork is already in place.

In practice: if you require an inspection in Derry on Monday and an inspection in Donegal on Tuesday, we can carry out both operations legally, under the correct authorisation framework for each jurisdiction, with no additional compliance burden on your side.

Data protection and privacy

Commercial drone operations — particularly thermal imaging, video survey, and photogrammetric mapping — can capture imagery that constitutes personal data under data protection law. The applicable framework depends on jurisdiction.

In the Republic of Ireland, operations are governed by Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (EU GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, enforced by the Data Protection Commission (DPC). In Northern Ireland, the equivalent framework is UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Where an inspection captures imagery over private land or in areas where individuals may be identifiable, we establish a lawful basis for data processing, conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) where required, and maintain a data retention policy appropriate to the nature of the work.

Data captured in the Republic of Ireland is subject to EU GDPR; data captured in Northern Ireland is subject to UK GDPR. Where a single project spans both jurisdictions, both frameworks apply simultaneously. We are familiar with both regimes and manage data handling in a way that satisfies the requirements of each.

What this means for you

You do not need to know which regulations apply to your site, which airspace app covers your jurisdiction, or which authority has issued the relevant permissions. That is factored in before we arrive. If a flight is not appropriate for your site — because of airspace restrictions, site conditions, or any other constraint — you will know before we leave the office, not after we have pulled up on site.

The regulatory complexity of operating commercially across the island of Ireland is ours to manage. You tell us where you need to go. We handle the rest.

For detail on our operational safety management systems, see our HSSE page. For a full account of what our EASA Specific Category Authorisation permits and why it matters, see our Specific Category Authorisation page.