For the first time in Russia, a separate air route has been allocated for regular flights of civilian drones. It allows drones to be used on a permanent basis without the need to introduce local and temporary air space restrictions each time. The U1 route was launched in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, its length is 440 km. Details were disclosed by the Russian Ministry of Transport.
The route runs at an altitude of 800 to 830 meters and is located in Class H airspace — a special class provided for drone flights. Only drones equipped with the necessary identification, navigation, and safety systems will be able to use the route.
The main advantage of U1 is that flights along this route do not require separate local or temporary air space restrictions to be introduced each time. This will make it easier to use civilian drones on a regular basis.
The first task for the new route will be monitoring forest fires in Yugra. However, in the future, such routes will allow civilian drones to be used more often for cargo delivery, infrastructure inspection, and territory surveillance, the Ministry of Transport expects.
What is Class H Airspace
Class H itself appeared in Russian airspace in 2025. It is intended for drone flights and includes airspace from the ground up to 150 meters, where a simplified procedure for using airspace applies to small UAVs.
In addition, special routes for drones can be created in Class H at an altitude of up to 3050 meters. Information about such routes is published by Rosaviatsia.