Piyo🐣: "Can I fly my drone at night? I thought that was a no-go." Poppo🦉: "Good instinct! Night flying has strict rules in Sweden. But yes, it's allowed—if you follow Transportstyrelsen requirements. Let's break it down."

Overview: Night Operations in Swedish Airspace

Night flying (from sunset to sunrise) is permitted in Sweden under EU 2019/947 + Swedish Aviation Act, but it's one of the most heavily regulated drone activities. Key facts:

  • VLOS night flight: Restricted to small drones (<2kg) with proper lighting
  • BVLOS night flight: Requires specific Transportstyrelsen authorization
  • Lighting standards: Mandatory anti-collision lights (red/green/white)
  • Visual observer: Required for all night BVLOS operations
  • Pre-notification: Transportstyrelsen must be notified 24 hours in advance

Who Can Legally Fly at Night?

✅ Allowed (With Authorization)

  • Licensed Remote Pilots (Category A2, A3 minimum)
  • Professional operators with BVLOS waiver
  • Registered commercial enterprises
  • Public institutions (universities, research centers)

❌ Not Allowed

  • Recreational pilots without specific night waiver
  • Beginners (Category A1 pilots, zero night experience)
  • Operations without Transportstyrelsen pre-approval
  • Flying without proper anti-collision lighting

Piyo🐣: "So even if I'm licensed, I still can't just fly at night?" Poppo🦉: "Correct. You need additional night training and Transportstyrelsen approval. It's a separate authorization."

Lighting Requirements for Night Drones

Transportstyrelsen mandates specific lighting to ensure visibility to manned aircraft and ground observers:

Mandatory Anti-Collision Lights

Light Color Location Brightness Pattern
Red Left/port wing ≥20 candelas Flashing 40-200 flashes/min
Green Right/starboard wing ≥20 candelas Flashing 40-200 flashes/min
White Rear/stern ≥20 candelas Constant (not flashing)
Strobe (optional) Top or bottom ≥75 candelas 1-2 Hz frequency

Light Coverage Requirements

  • Red/green lights: Must be visible from ±110° (not just head-on)
  • White light: Must be visible from rear, minimum 140° arc
  • Strobe: Should be visible from all angles (if equipped)

Power & Durability

  • Battery must power lights for entire flight duration
  • Lights must be redundant (if one fails, others function)
  • Brightness must be maintainable even with low battery (final 5% flight time)

Common mistake: Cheap LED strips from Amazon don't meet Swedish standard. You need aviation-grade anti-collision lights (typically 800-3,000 kr per drone).

VLOS vs. BVLOS Night Operations

VLOS Night Flying (Small Drones <2kg)

Requirements:
  • Drone must have visible anti-collision lights (all four colors)
  • Pilot maintains visual line of sight at all times (unaided eye)
  • Flight altitude: Maximum 50 meters AGL (Above Ground Level)
  • Flight distance: Maximum 200 meters from pilot
  • No flight over populated areas after dark
  • No BVLOS capability (no autonomous waypoints)

Approval process:
  • Transportstyrelsen pre-notification (24 hours before flight)
  • No formal authorization needed (notification only)
  • You can begin VLOS night flights within 24 hours

Operational example: Nighttime inspection of a warehouse roof. You're standing on the ground, the drone hovers 30 meters up, you can see it clearly with its lights, and it never leaves your visual control.

BVLOS Night Flying (All Drone Sizes)

Requirements:
  • Specific Operational Risk Assessment (SORA) required
  • Visual Observer (VO) mandatory in addition to pilot
  • VO maintains sightline via binoculars/night vision if needed
  • Remote Pilot Certificate A2 or higher required
  • Minimum 100 flight hours (50 hours BVLOS minimum)
  • Minimum 10 hours night flying experience
  • Two-way communication between pilot and all VOs

Approval process:
  • Submit formal application to Transportstyrelsen (4-8 weeks)
  • Detailed SORA assessment (ground risk, air risk, mitigation)
  • Review by Luftfartsverket (Civil Aviation Authority)
  • Approval decision + operational conditions
  • Annual renewal required

Operational example: Nighttime inspection of power transmission lines across 10 km. Drone flies autonomously via waypoints, pilot controls from control station 500m away, visual observer with binoculars tracks drone along the route, and all safety systems (geofence, RTH, collision avoidance) are active.

Transportstyrelsen Night Approval Process (4-8 weeks)

Step 1: Determine Your Operation Type (Week 0)

  • VLOS night only? Simple notification, no approval needed
  • BVLOS night? Requires formal authorization
  • Mixed (VLOS + BVLOS)? BVLOS process applies

Step 2: Prepare SORA 2.5 Assessment (Weeks 1-2)

If BVLOS, submit:

  • Ground risk analysis: Low risk (night = fewer people awake); still assess building/infrastructure
  • Air risk analysis: Night operations + manned aircraft avoidance = high sensitivity
  • Operational risk analysis: Pilot/VO competency, equipment redundancy, weather
  • Mitigation measures: Geofences, RTH protocols, redundant communication, light/radar systems

Key consideration: Transportstyrelsen evaluates air risk more strictly at night because manned helicopter/fixed-wing traffic may not see a small drone.

Step 3: Safety Plan Submission (Week 2-3)

Required documents:

  • Detailed operational procedures manual (Swedish or English)
  • Pilot + VO qualification certificates
  • Insurance certificate (EUR 1-2M coverage)
  • Drone technical specifications + lighting compliance proof
  • Emergency procedures (e.g., loss of communication RTH, battery low landing)
  • Map of flight corridor with hazard annotations

Step 4: Transportstyrelsen Review (Weeks 3-6)

  • Initial completeness check (3 business days)
  • Detailed SORA evaluation (2-3 weeks)
  • Possible request for additional information (1-2 weeks)
  • Approval recommendation to Luftfartsverket

Step 5: Final Authorization (Weeks 6-8)

  • Luftfartsverket issues formal decision letter
  • Includes operational conditions (altitude limits, time windows, no-fly zones)
  • Valid for 12 months; renewal 4 weeks before expiration

Piyo🐣: "So I can't just go fly at 10 PM?" Poppo🦉: "Not without pre-approval. But once Transportstyrelsen approves you, you're cleared to operate—as long as you follow the conditions in your authorization letter."

Visual Observer Requirements for Night BVLOS

VO Qualifications

  • Minimum age 18
  • Remote Pilot Certificate A2 or higher (same as pilot)
  • Minimum 50 flight hours (may include daylight BVLOS)
  • Minimum 5 hours night observation experience
  • Fluency in Swedish or English (radio communication)

VO Responsibilities During Flight

  1. Maintain sightline to drone (unaided eye or binoculars/night vision)
  2. Detect hazards (manned aircraft, weather, obstacles)
  3. Communicate verbally with pilot every 30 seconds (minimum)
  4. Monitor area around flight corridor (±500m lateral buffer)
  5. Alert pilot immediately if hazard detected
  6. Confirm RTH if communication lost

VO Equipment

  • Two-way radio (encrypted, if sensitive operations)
  • Binoculars or night vision goggles (strongly recommended)
  • Written flight plan (altitude, heading, speed, expected duration)
  • Tablet/laptop with drone telemetry feed (optional but helpful)
  • Weather instrument (wind speed meter, thermometer)

Weather & Environmental Restrictions for Night Flying

Transportstyrelsen prohibits night operations if:

Condition Limit Swedish Impact
Wind speed >12 m/s Common in winter; operations reduced Nov-Mar
Visibility <5 km Fog/snow common; check SMHI (weather service)
Precipitation Any snow/ice Most winter nights affected
Cloud ceiling <300m AGL Overcast nights are common; limits altitude
Temperature <-10°C Battery degradation; limited flight time

SMHI (Swedish Meteorological Institute) publishes forecasts every 6 hours. You must check forecasts 4 hours before flight and confirm conditions are within limits.

Night Flying Fees & Costs

Transportstyrelsen Application Fees

  • Pre-notification (VLOS): Free
  • BVLOS authorization (formal application): ~5,000-10,000 kr processing fee
  • Annual renewal: ~2,000-5,000 kr

Equipment Costs

  • Aviation-grade anti-collision lights: 1,500-3,000 kr per drone
  • Night vision goggles (VO equipment): 5,000-15,000 kr
  • Radar transponder (ACAS II integration, optional): 20,000-50,000 kr
  • Insurance surcharge (night BVLOS): +15-30% premium

Total First-Year Cost

  • Small VLOS night operation: 5,000-15,000 kr
  • BVLOS night operation: 50,000-150,000 kr (incl. training, equipment, insurance)

FAQ: Night Flying in Sweden

Q: Can I fly at dusk/dawn without specific night authorization?

A: Technically, yes—if it's civil twilight (sun <6° below horizon) and you maintain VLOS with anti-collision lights. But if the sun is fully below the horizon, full night rules apply. To avoid ambiguity, Transportstyrelsen recommends treating dusk/dawn as night (get pre-approval).

Q: Do my anti-collision lights need to be flashing or constant?

A: Red/green (wing lights) = flashing (40-200 Hz). White (tail light) = constant. Strobe (optional top/bottom) = 1-2 Hz. Transportstyrelsen is strict on this—mixed patterns aren't allowed.

Q: What if my drone loses its anti-collision light mid-flight?

A: You must:

  1. Immediately return drone to line-of-sight control
  2. Land drone safely (if still VLOS)
  3. Do NOT continue BVLOS flight
  4. Report incident to Transportstyrelsen within 24 hours
  5. Fix light before next operation

Q: Can I use smartphone flashlight as anti-collision light?

A: No. Swedish rules require aviation-grade lights with specific brightness/pattern. Phone lights are insufficient (can't meet 20-candela minimum). Use proper drone anti-collision kits (DJI, Freefly, etc.).

Q: How far from cities can I fly at night without Transportstyrelsen approval?

A: Even in remote areas, notification is required (VLOS) or full authorization (BVLOS). There's no geographic exemption. Transportstyrelsen applies the same rules everywhere in Swedish airspace.

Q: Can I use autonomous waypoint flight at night (no real-time control)?

A: Only with BVLOS authorization. Pre-programmed routes must be approved by Transportstyrelsen in advance. You can't do "set and forget"—pilot must monitor and be ready to take manual control.

Q: How does MmowW help with night flying compliance?

A: MmowW provides:

  • ✅ Night flying checklist automation (pre-flight verification)
  • ✅ Weather integration (SMHI data auto-import; alerts if conditions exceed limits)
  • ✅ SORA 2.5 night-specific templates
  • ✅ Pilot/VO certification tracking (alerts before night qualifications expire)
  • ✅ Automatic flight logging (all night flights recorded with timestamp, location, lights status)
  • ✅ Transportstyrelsen notification pre-population

Cost: kr67/drone/month (includes night operations features)

Next Steps: Enabling Night Flying

For VLOS Night Operations (Quickest)

  1. Install aviation-grade anti-collision lights (1,500-3,000 kr)
  2. Notify Transportstyrelsen 24 hours before flight
  3. Conduct flight during authorized time window
  4. Log flight with MmowW

For BVLOS Night Operations (4-8 weeks)

  1. Complete night pilot training (10+ hours)
  2. Recruit trained Visual Observer
  3. Prepare SORA assessment + safety plan
  4. Submit to Transportstyrelsen
  5. Await approval (4-8 weeks)
  6. Activate operational procedures
  7. Begin night BVLOS flights

Published: April 9, 2026 | Authority: Transportstyrelsen | Law: EU 2019/947 + Swedish Aviation Act