Drone Rules for Negril Aerodrome
Negril Aerodrome is an active public aerodrome serving western Jamaica. Under Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) regulations, unmanned aircraft may not be operated within 5 km (16,500 ft) of the aerodrome without appropriate authorization.
Negril Aerodrome is a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) aerodrome supporting domestic and tourism-related aviation traffic in western Jamaica. The aerodrome is generally published as operating between 1200 UTC and 2300 UTC and serves private, charter, and commercial aircraft operations.
Under Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) recreational unmanned aircraft regulations:
• Unmanned aircraft shall not be operated within 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) of any aerodrome or rotorcraft-designated landing zone.
Additional JCAA drone requirements include:
• Maximum altitude of 400 feet (122 meters) above ground level. • Aircraft must remain within the operator's unaided visual line of sight. • FPV-only operations are not permitted. • Operations must remain at least 500 feet (152 meters) from organized open-air assemblies of people. • Operations must remain at least 165 feet (50 meters) from uninvolved persons. • Commercial drone operations require authorization from the JCAA.
Due to the airport's proximity to major tourist destinations and aviation traffic corridors, drone pilots should treat the entire 5 km area surrounding the aerodrome as a no-fly zone unless specifically authorized by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority.