Drone Tourism Is Coming to Europe and Regulators Have No Idea What to Do

European commercial drone operators are ready to launch tourism services from the Alps to the Mediterranean. Regulatory roadblocks are making it nearly impossible. Here is the full story.

The commercial drone industry in Europe is sitting on the cusp of a tourism revolution that the regulatory environment is systematically preventing from happening at commercial scale. From automated aerial tours of alpine landscapes to delivery drones serving Mediterranean resort islands to drone photography services that offer tourists views of historical monuments from perspectives previously available only to licensed aircraft operators, the commercial applications of drone technology for European tourism are clear, technically feasible, and commercially validated in specific pilot contexts.

Euronews's regulatory roadblocks investigation, published in late March 2026, found that the combination of EASA's (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) technical certification requirements, national civil aviation authority permitting processes, local planning restrictions, insurance requirements, and the complex interaction between drone operation airspace and conventional aviation creates a multi-year, multi-jurisdiction approval process for routine commercial drone services that makes the business case effectively unviable for all but the most well-capitalised and patient operators.

The specific examples are illustrative. A company seeking to operate automated aerial photography tours in a coastal area in Croatia — carrying no passengers, operating drones under 25 kilograms at below 120 metres altitude in designated airspace — must obtain: EASA certification for the drone operator organisation; Croatian civil aviation authority operational approval; the relevant municipality's planning permission for commercial air operations; drone-specific liability insurance at levels that few specialist insurers currently offer for commercial operations; and coordination approval from Zagreb Airport's air traffic management authority for any operation within 20 kilometres of the airport's control zone, which covers most of the Dalmatian coast.

The total regulatory lead time for this relatively simple commercial operation has been estimated at 18-24 months by operators who have attempted it. A comparable operation in Australia, Canada, or the United States typically takes 3-6 months.

EASA is aware of the competitive disadvantage and has published consultation documents on streamlining commercial drone authorisation. The consultation documents are an acknowledgment of the problem rather than its solution.