STS - standard scenarios

On this page, you can learn more about standard scenarios and how you can operate under them.

What is a standard scenario?

If you have a drone with a C5 or C6 marking, you can operate under a standard scenario. A standard scenario is a predefined operation where EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) has already conducted the risk assessment for you. Currently, there are two standard scenarios you can operate under – see them below.

To operate under a standard scenario, you must:

  • Have a valid insurance
  • Develop an operations manual, including emergency and contingency procedures
  • Complete and pass the theoretical STS exam
  • Complete and pass the practical STS exam for either STS-01 or STS-02
  • Comply with all operational limitations
  • Submit a declaration to the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority stating that you meet all requirements

Once your declaration is submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation acknowledging its receipt. During inspections, we will review your operations manual together with you.

It is essential to comply with all requirements of the selected standard scenario and not pick and choose elements that fit your operation.

STS operation types

If you wish to operate your C5-marked drone under the European standard scenario STS-01, you operations is to be performed  within visual line of sight (VLOS) in a populated area that is controlled with a drone weighing up to 25 kg. Drones without a C5 marking cannot operate under STS-01 but may instead fly under PDRA-S01 if they meet the same technical requirements. (Read more about PDRA-S01 here.)

A controlled area is defined as an area where you have full control over who is present in the area during the operation. Read more in Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and Regulation (EU) 2019/945.

Conditions for operating under STS-01:

  • The drone must be C5-marked.
  • The drone must remain within visual line of sight throughout the operation.
  • The operation must be conducted according to an operations manual.
  • The operational area must be controlled to ensure that no unauthorized individuals can enter.
  • The remote pilot must hold a drone certificate for at least subcategory A1/A3.
  • In addition, the remote pilot must have a theoretical certificate from a recognized standard scenario training provider (see the list of recognized schools below).
  • The remote pilot must have completed and passed the practical training for STS-01 – read more here.

If you wish to operate your C6-marked drone under the European standard scenario STS-02, you can fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) up to 1 km from the remote pilot  (up to 2 km with an observer) in a sparsely populated and controlled area with a drone weighing up to 25 kg. Drones without a C6 marking cannot operate under STS-02 but may instead fly under PDRA-S02 if they meet the same technical requirements. (Read more about PDRA-S02 here.)

A controlled area is defined as an area where you have full control over who is present in the area during the operation. Read more in Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and Regulation (EU) 2019/945.

Conditions for operating under STS-02:

  • The drone must be C6-marked.
  • The drone can be flown beyond the remote pilot’s visual line of sight up to 1 km away.
  • If an observer is present, the operational range can be extended up to 1 km from the observer.
  • The observer must be no more than 1 km from the remote pilot.
  • The operation must be conducted according to an operations manual.
  • The operational area must be controlled to ensure no unauthorized individuals can enter.
  • The remote pilot must hold a drone certificate for at least subcategory A1/A3.
  • The remote pilot must have a theoretical certificate from a recognized standard scenario training provider (see the list of recognized schools below).
  • The remote pilot must have completed and passed the practical training for STS-02 – read more here.

Complete and submit your declaration to the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority

Once you or your company has completed the operations manual and ensured compliance with all requirements for operating under one of the standard scenarios, you should submit the operational declaration. Once the declaration has been submitted, you will receive confirmation that it has been received. When you receive this confirmation, you can begin flying as a drone operator once your remote pilots have received the necessary training (Read more about theoretical and practical training below).

During inspections, we will review your operations and operations manual.

You can find the operational declaration here.

Read more

Senest opdateret 09-04-2025