On 18 February 2026, amendments to Latvia's Aviation Law entered into force. The changes raise administrative fines across the board, introduce several new penalty categories, and — the headline move — tie the maximum fines for legal entities in the most serious cases to company turnover rather than a fixed euro ceiling.
For a commercial drone operator, that last point materially changes the risk calculation. The old flat-cap system was uncomfortable but predictable. Turnover-linked maxima are harder to model and much more sensitive to company size.
What changed and why
The stated goal of the amendments is to improve flight safety for civil aircraft, including drones, and to bring administrative liability in line with the actual scale of violations. Latvia's State Police opened 360 drone administrative cases in 2024. In 2025 that number rose to 771 — more than double. The most common violations last year: unmarked or unidentifiable drone (150 cases), operator or pilot not registered (108), and flying beyond visual line of sight (91).
The legislative record cites LV portāls report 386287 and the text at likumi.lv id 366190.
The turnover-linked maxima: what they cover
Three violation categories now carry maximum fines for legal entities expressed as a percentage of the previous reporting year's net turnover:
- Carrying passengers without the right to provide that service: up to 2 % of net turnover (previously €450–1750).
- Flying without legally required equipment: up to 7 % of net turnover (previously €700–5250).
- Breaching air-traffic-management rules: up to 7 % of net turnover (previously €700–1750).
These figures come from LV portāls, citing CAA Latvia examples. Our reading: a 7 % ceiling on a company with €1 million in annual net turnover means exposure of up to €70 000 against a previous maximum of €5250. On a €10 million business, that ceiling reaches €700 000. This is our analysis of what the change means in practice — not an official statement.
Flat fines: the new amounts
Several violation categories keep fixed euro amounts, but those amounts have been raised and new categories added.
| Violation | Natural person | Legal entity |
|---|---|---|
| Unmarked / non-identifiable drone | up to €150 | up to €500 |
| Geographical zone breach | up to €700 | up to €2000 |
| Zone over aviation objects / transformed airspace | up to €1000 | up to €5000 |
| Alcohol over 0.2‰ or drugs | up to €700 | — |
| Personnel without required qualification | €150–2000 | €150–2000 |
The alcohol and drug prohibition is now explicit: the restriction covers not only alcohol above 0.2‰ but any other intoxicating substances. The personnel fine range (€150–2000) has also been extended, and violations can carry a possible suspension of up to five years.
New penalty categories introduced
The amendments add administrative liability for violations that previously carried no specific sanction:
- Flying without remote-pilot qualification.
- Supervising a flight while intoxicated.
- Spraying liquids, dropping material, or carrying dangerous goods without authorization.
- Ignoring geographical-zone requirements.
That last one is now explicitly covered by the geographical zone fine schedule above.
Who enforces
Article 125 of the Aviation Law lists the bodies authorised to handle drone cases: the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA), the Military Police, the State Police, municipal police, and the State Border Guard. In practice, State Police is handling the bulk of cases — the 2025 count of 771 cases comes from their records.
BGKIS: the new state information system
The amendments introduce the Bezpilota gaisa kuģu informācijas sistēma (BGKIS) — a state information system for UAS matters. All UAS applications and official communication now run through e.caa.gov.lv. A document created there is legally valid even without a physical signature field. Operators who still manage authorizations through older channels should verify that their workflow is compatible with the new system.
A note on GDPR fines
A separate question sometimes raised alongside aviation fines is data protection exposure — for example, where a drone captures footage of individuals. This is a different legal track: the Data State Inspectorate applies GDPR, which carries its own separate maximum fines (up to €20 million or 4 % of global annual turnover). These are not Aviation Law fines. The two regimes are enforced by different bodies and address different conduct. They can apply simultaneously, but they should not be conflated.
What the numbers mean for a business
Our analysis: a registered operator number, a marked drone, a checked geo-zone, and sober personnel are the minimum compliance baseline. They always were. What has changed is the cost of not meeting that baseline. A 7 % turnover fine against a mid-size commercial operator is a material business risk, not a routine bill.
The CAA spokesperson's formulation is worth repeating here: airspace restrictions are variable — check airspace.lv/drones before every flight.
What to do now
The law is already in force. There is no phase-in period for the new fine schedule. For operators: confirm drone markings and registration are current; verify that all remote pilots hold the required qualification; check that your workflow runs through BGKIS at e.caa.gov.lv; brief your team on the new intoxication rules — the prohibition now covers all intoxicating substances, not only alcohol.
The Aviation Law requirements covered in this article are part of the Latvian national rules lesson. You can test your knowledge in the Aviation Regulation practice set.
