Following a proposal from the CAA, the government extended the Transitional and Legacy provisions from the end of 2022 to 1 January 2026.
A2 Certificates of Competency (A2 CofC) showing a transitional validity period up to 31 December 2022 remain valid for operations carried out under these extended transitional provisions.
Until 1 January 2026, you may operate drones weighing between 250 g and 500 g under the transitional rules, meaning you are also permitted to fly a drone or model aircraft within this weight range closer than 50 m to people, provided you do not intentionally fly over them. This transitional arrangement is only available until January 2026. After this date, drones in this weight category must be operated in in the Open A2 or A3 subcategories or within the Specific Category under a valid Operational Authorisation.