4K Drone Operators Registered as Luxembourg Drone Center Launches

On Friday 2 May 2025, Luxembourg's Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, together with Gilles Rock, President of the Luxembourg Drone Federation, Carole Muller, President of the Luxembourg Confederation, and Laurent Goedert, Director of CNFPC Ettelbruck, presented the Luxembourg Drone Center, a new national hub dedicated to training, experimentation and innovation in the field of civil drone technology, in Esch-sur-Alzette.

The training offer responds to the rapid growth of the drone sector and the increasing diversification of professional drone applications.

The Luxembourg Drone Center builds on the skills and expertise of the Centre national de formation professionnelle continue (CNFPC), of which it is an integral part. "With a targeted training offer focused on drones, the CNFPC fulfils three essential missions: it opens new opportunities for employees in Luxembourg, provides targeted support for the development of an innovative sector with a skilled workforce, and promotes technological innovation within the Luxembourg economy," stated Minister Meisch.

In Luxembourg, 4,144 drone operators were registered as of Sunday 13 March 2025, according to data from the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DAC) of the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works. This figure has increased by 85% over the past two years. The growth highlights a strong demand for drone operator training in Luxembourg, particularly as a European regulatory framework has required mandatory training for different operational categories since 2021. At present, the DAC remains the only entity offering official training in the Grand Duchy, in cooperation with the Aviation Learning Centre of the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol).

Laurent Goedert, Director of CNFPC Ettelbruck, told Chronicle.lu that there is "significant" interest in the training courses for drone pilots: "We have received a lot of feedback, and many people are asking to enrol in training because, nowadays, you can go to a supermarket and buy your own drone — but you don't necessarily know how to fly it. That's why proper training is essential. It's also important because you are flying in shared airspace, and there may be a helicopter from the air rescue service passing through. These helicopters typically fly at altitudes of 200 to 300 metres and even a drone weighing just one kilogram can cause serious damage." He added: "On an international level, there is consensus that training is necessary — if you're against training, then you are in the wrong business. That is one of the key messages we want to convey". 

The Luxembourg Drone Center offers certified training programmes to complement the current training options available in Luxembourg. As a result, drone pilots no longer need to seek certification abroad to obtain full qualifications. The training offer includes:

- comprehensive courses for drone operators and pilots, combining theoretical and practical skills required to carry out open category drone operations in accordance with European regulations;
- courses covering a wide range of professional drone applications, such as infrastructure inspection (bridges, wind turbines or power lines), mapping and topography, audiovisual production, precision agriculture, and industrial cleaning (e.g. facades or solar panels);
- supplementary training on managing, storing and protecting collected data.

The Luxembourg Drone Center's courses are tailored to all levels of drone use, whether public or private, commercial or scientific. Current operators and pilots can strengthen their technical and practical skills, while beginners acquire the necessary foundation for professional use. The centre also contributes to the creation of genuine professional requalification opportunities.
Courses are delivered by instructors specialising in drone piloting, aviation safety, regulations and equipment maintenance.

In an interview with Chronicle.lu, Christophe Struck, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Training Manager, explained the main objective behind the creation of the Luxembourg Drone Center: "Well, first of all, we are responding to a need in the sector. There is currently a lack of training in Luxembourg — at the moment, only theoretical training for drone pilots exists. There is no practical training available for pilots, nor are there courses for professional applications. So with the Drone Centre, we are really filling that gap. On one hand, we aim to qualify existing pilots, and on the other, we want to open this sector to companies that may not yet be using this technology.” 

He added: "We will also offer introductory training sessions to showcase different use cases for drones, as well as awareness training — for example, on the risks associated with drones, data management, and cybersecurity, given the large volumes of data involved. The idea is to offer a holistic training package, covering everything from pilot instruction to professional applications and post-analysis data management.”

At the Luxembourg Drone Center, the least expensive training course costs €50 and lasts five hours, while the most expensive option is priced at €390 for a six-hour session.

For further information, see: www.drone-center.lu