The concept would see the private sector manage the airspace, while flying drones would become a paid activity even for hobbyists.

The Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) also says it sees a need to impose similar restrictions more broadly in and near population centers in Estonia.

Under current law, drones below 250 grams in weight can be flown mostly restriction-free, but under the proposed rules, operators of these, too, would need to apply for a flight permit, submit a flight plan, and be trackable in real time by a control center.

How much this would cost users is yet to be decided, Priit Rifk, head of the unmanned aviation division at the Transport Administration, told "Aktuaalne kaamera," adding that the market should decide and would help keep fees lower.

"This in itself is a free market, and I can say that based on what I know it is in everyone's best interests not to kill the market by driving up prices too high. But these service providers will likely have some kind of tariff that they charge for issuing flight permits. At the moment, it is difficult for me to comment on the size of that fee," Rifk said.

The automated airspace would operate in layers, with different altitude strata earmarked for different types of drone operations. For example, unmanned drones could fly in one layer, hobbyists in another. According to stakeholders, the need for this stems from enabling unmanned drone operations and creating flight corridors. "If they fly autonomously according to a predefined program to certain locations to carry out monitoring activities or collect information, then people's privacy and all these aspects are also important issues that need regulation," said Tartu Deputy Mayor Priit Humal (Isamaa).

Tartu Science Park (Tartu teaduspark) is developing various drone projects and is also one of the initiators of the automated airspace project. The science park says a more regulated airspace would make development activities easier and is in any case inevitable due to the growing number of drones.

Pirko Konsa, Tartu Science Park management board member, put the timescale for the project at two to three years.

"If we look to the future and consider that there could be more of these drones, and bear in mind that they could provide logistics — be it for medical purposes or anything else — then the airspace somehow has to be safe and regulated. Our goal in Tartu is to begin these activities so that within two to three years we can create such an automated and regulated airspace."

The current drone operation regulations in Estonia can be viewed in English here.

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