Greece is imposing an airspace ban on drones over the southeastern Aegean, according to six Greek aviation notices (NOTAMs) issued over the past few days.
The measures establish a number of temporarily restricted areas within the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR), centered on the extreme southernmost islands of Karpathos and Kasos and the nearby islets of Saria and Armathia.
The blanket restrictions will take effect on Wednesday, September 16, and remain in force through October 31, 2026, applying daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The restricted zones cover strategic locations including the peaks of Olympos, Aperi and Arkasa on Karpathos, the entire island of Kasos and airspace around the two islands’ airports.
The ban covers altitudes from ground level to 400 feet, which is also the maximum legal altitude for ordinary recreational unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According to the notices, all other UAV flights in the area will be fully suspended, tovima.com reports.
Agency responsible not identified
The official notices do not identify the agency responsible, but the strict nature of the NOTAMs and the islands’ location point to national military exercises or special border-surveillance operations by the armed forces and security services. During the period, the authorized state operator will remain in constant communication with Athens’ air traffic control, while flights will be suspended immediately if required for safety reasons.
Local airport authorities have urged professional and recreational drone operators to comply fully with the restrictions. Enforcement is expected to be particularly strict, as violations of restricted airspace during special operations carry severe penalties and administrative fines.
Τurkey’s provocations
The NOTAMs were issued on the day of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and the following day. The two leaders discussed a planned electricity interconnection cable linking Greece with Cyprus and Israel.
According to information cited in tovima.com report, work to resume laying the cable is expected to restart from the point where it was halted after the appearance of Turkish warships off Kasos on July 22-23, 2024, namely east of the island.
At the same time, Turkey has been making extensive use of drones over the Aegean in an effort to test Greek air-defense response times and procedures while putting pressure on the country’s air-defense system. Recently, Turkish drones reportedly reached the terminal area of Alexandroupolis airport, while another flew shortly before midnight over the Aegean, reaching an area north of Ikaria where its flight path formed an offensive shape.
The Greek armed forces view the operational role of such drones during peacetime as primarily one of psychological and hybrid influence rather than military effectiveness.
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