Legal basis and objective
The establishment of flight restriction areas is based on Section 17 (1) sentence 2 of the German Air Traffic Regulations (LuftVO) and serves to protect against dangers arising from certain activities on the ground or in the air. The aim is to to ensure the safety of air trafficespecially during military exercises, the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), research flights or firing exercises.
The current changes were published in the "Nachrichten für Luftfahrer" (NfL) on 15 May 2025 and will come into force on 10 July 2025. Some areas are active around the clock, others only at set times.
Overview: The most important new ED-R areas
The following areas have been newly defined or updated. They each extend in a defined radius around geographically fixed points and have specific vertical and temporal limits.
Examples of particularly relevant areas:
- ED-R 1 (Garching)
- Radius: 0.8 NM
- Altitude: GND up to 3600 ft MSL
- Active: 24/7
- Note: Proximity to Munich - relevant flight zone for VFR training and private flights.
- ED-R 4 (Wannsee)
- Radius: 2 NM in segment form
- Altitude: GND up to 2200 ft MSL
- Active: 24/7
- Location: In Berlin airspace - particularly critical for VFR approaches to aerodromes in the greater Berlin area.
- ED-R 5 (Biblis), ED-R 6 (Brokdorf), ED-R 7 (Brunsbüttel)
- Altitude: each GND up to approx. 2000-2300 ft
- Special feature: Proximity to power stations and critical infrastructure.
- ED-R 10 (Todendorf-Putlos)
- Sectors A-E, large areas up to FL400
- Utilisation: Military firing exercises, target towing operations, air-to-ground exercises
- Activity time: Monday to Saturday, sometimes all day
- Significance: One of the largest and most complex military training areas on the Baltic coast.
Significance for VFR and IFR flights
General rules:
- The Crossing the areas is generally prohibitedexcept:
- It is permitted by special regulations or authorisations.
- The responsible air traffic control centre has given clearance.
- This is a rescue flight with prior arrangement.
- For IFR flights usually consists of an exceptionif there is no hazardous activity.
- VFR flights can be released under certain conditions if:
- there are no current flight operations in the ED-R,
- There is a willingness to listen,
- and the pilot is prepared to leave the area immediately when requested to do so.
Practical consequences:
- Flight preparation becomes more complex: Pilots must use the Temporal activation check each area on a daily basis (e.g. via NOTAM or AIS).
- Planning of school flights, aerodromes or navigation exercises requires more effort.
- Aerodromes within active ED-Rs require coordination with the authorised user (e.g. German Armed Forces, research institutions).
Why flight restriction areas are increasing
The increase in ED-R areas can be explained by various trends:
- Growing military activity and exercisespartly in an international context (e.g. NATO).
- Increased use of dronesin particular BVLOS flights for research, logistics or security.
- Increasing requirements for the protection of critical infrastructure such as nuclear power stations, energy plants or government facilities.
- Increase in experimental aviation activitiesfor example by unmanned systems or high-altitude balloons.
What should pilots do now?
Regular review of NOTAMs and AIP SUP.
Utilisation of Airspace warning systems in planning software and apps (SkyDemon, ForeFlight, etc.).
Contact with FIS (Flight Information Service) for the clarification of transit authorisations.
Source references:
NFL (the link requires a subscription to Eisenschmidt)