SAFRA Unmanned Aircraft Flying Areas Trial 2026

Trial scope and locations

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and SAFRA are trialling Unmanned Aircraft Flying Areas (UAFAs) at four SAFRA clubhouses for six months from 3 August 2026. The sites are SAFRA Choa Chu Kang, Mount Faber, Tampines and Toa Payoh. Selected futsal and squash courts are temporarily repurposed during designated weekly periods so members of the public can fly unmanned aircraft in enclosed facilities (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The trial tests whether indoor club facilities can be safely and meaningfully repurposed as designated flying spaces, unlike the existing open-field UAFAs at Pandan Reservoir and Dover. CAAS said that a successful trial could support scaling the number of such spaces across Singapore, while SAFRA said it would help national servicemen and their families try the hobby and help gauge interest in using club spaces for varied activities. Those statements describe a trial objective, not a commitment to permanent sites or nationwide indoor access (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

Facilities and booking

The trial facilities include drone gates intended to help users practise flying skills. All members of the public may book slots free of charge through the SAFRA mobile app or web portal. On-site signage provides information on applicable unmanned-aircraft regulations, operating guidelines and safe-flying practices; users can also submit feedback through the trial feedback route (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The free booking is access to a designated venue slot, not a package that supplies an aircraft, instructor, insurance, certification or permission to ignore wider CAAS rules. Users remain responsible for following the venue's signage and operating guidance, and the booking portal or venue notices are the authoritative places to check whether a particular slot is available. CAAS also invited users to share feedback and join the community Telegram group for updates and important notices during the trial (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

Published operating periods

The CAAS announcement lists the following trial periods: Choa Chu Kang’s futsal court on Mondays from 1pm to 3pm and Sundays from 7am to 9am; Mount Faber’s futsal court on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 5pm and weekends from 12pm to 3pm; and the Tampines and Toa Payoh squash courts on weekdays from 10am to 3pm. These are the published trial-site hours and may not replace current booking availability or venue notices (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The schedule is attached to particular repurposed courts, not to every activity at the four clubhouses. A reader should therefore distinguish a site's listed operating period from a confirmed reservation and should check the live SAFRA app or web portal before travelling. The six-month trial period also means that the timetable is time-bounded; it should not be presented as a permanent operating schedule after the trial without a later CAAS or SAFRA update (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

Relationship to existing UAFAs

The four SAFRA sites differ from Singapore’s existing two UAFAs at open fields at Pandan Reservoir and Dover. CAAS said the trial is intended to test whether enclosed facilities can be safely and meaningfully repurposed as designated unmanned-aircraft flying spaces. If successful, CAAS may scale the number of such spaces and make recreational flying more accessible; that is a stated future intention, not a commitment that additional locations will be created (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The distinction is operational as well as geographic: the SAFRA sites are selected indoor courts available during designated periods, while Pandan Reservoir and Dover are open-field community spaces with their own site rules and signs. Being inside a designated UAFA does not by itself create a blanket exemption from registration, permit, no-fly-zone or safety requirements that apply under Singapore's wider unmanned-aircraft regime (CAAS, updated 3 September 2026).

General flying boundary

The SAFRA trial creates designated enclosed spaces for recreational flying; it does not turn every SAFRA clubhouse into a permanent UAFA or make every time outside the published periods available for flying. CAAS says all members of the public may book the trial slots free of charge through the SAFRA mobile app or web portal, and on-site signage will explain applicable UA regulations, operating guidelines and safe-flying practices. Users were also invited to submit feedback and join the UAFA community Telegram group for updates and notices (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The published timetable is a venue schedule, not a promise that a slot remains bookable or that a venue's operational arrangements cannot change. Choa Chu Kang's futsal court was listed for Mondays from 1pm to 3pm and Sundays from 7am to 9am; Mount Faber's futsal court for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 5pm and weekends from 12pm to 3pm; and the Tampines and Toa Payoh squash courts for weekdays from 10am to 3pm. Users should check the live SAFRA booking portal and on-site notices before travelling (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The trial's community-access purpose also has a specific population context: SAFRA said it would let national servicemen and their families try UA flying and help the organisation gauge interest in using club spaces for varied activities, while CAAS described the wider goal as making recreational flying more accessible. Neither statement establishes that users receive flight training, equipment, insurance, certification or a regulatory exemption as part of a free booking (CAAS, 30 July 2026).

The SAFRA trial does not remove Singapore’s wider unmanned-aircraft rules. CAAS says general no-fly zones include areas within 5 km of aerodromes, danger, prohibited and restricted areas, and protected areas under the Air Navigation Act; parks, nature reserves and private property may impose additional local restrictions or conditions. Operators should use OneMap to identify areas where flying is recommended or permits are required and to check temporary restricted areas created for aerial displays or large-scale events (CAAS, updated 3 September 2026).

CAAS describes the Pandan Reservoir and Dover UAFAs as community spaces with no entry or use fee, but each has site-specific operating rules and signage. Both operate from 7am to 7pm daily; Pandan Reservoir additionally limits flying to the area marked by flags and yellow buoys, while Dover requires the operator to keep the aircraft within line of sight. A designated UAFA is therefore a managed flying space, not a blanket exemption from applicable regulatory or safety requirements (CAAS, updated 3 September 2026).