Drone shows in Türkiye
Gazi Koşusu has been run every year since 1927. It was founded in honour of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and over a century it has grown into more than sport: a shared memory that connects generations. In 2026 the race turned one hundred.
The night before the centennial, at Çırağan Palace, the sky above the Bosphorus carried a rider, a flowing Turkish flag, the silhouette of Atatürk and the centenary emblem. 2,026 drones, a record for Türkiye at the time of the show.
Above the same strait we flew the 10th anniversary of Democracy and National Unity Day on 15 July, watched from both shores at once.
Where we have flown in Türkiye
In Istanbul a thousand drones marked Galatasaray’s 26th Süper Lig title: 14 May 2026 above RAMS Park, in front of more than 70,000 people in the stands. Over the Bosphorus in the same city we closed the seventh international partner meeting of Big Dutchman and flew a show for Mercedes-Benz.
Outside Istanbul:
Edirne. A thousand drones closed the programme İstanbul’un Fethi Edirne’den Başlar at the Selimiye Mosque, marking the anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople. The sky carried the Ottoman march setting out from Edirne, the cannon that breached the walls, and the symbols tied to the event. We flew in the rain.
İzmit. A thousand drones above Kocaeli Stadium at the youth festival Bir Gençlik Şöleni.
Antalya. A thousand drones above The Land of Legends on 23 April 2026, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. At Delphin Hotels the shows run daily, as part of the evening programme.
Cappadocia. The first drone show in the history of the place, February 2026, during the Chinese New Year celebrations for the Year of the Horse. Cappadocia is known as the Land of Beautiful Horses.
Konya. 750 drones at the Science Festival, four days, hundreds of thousands of visitors. And a separate programme at the Bicycle Festival from 5 to 8 August: Konya was European Cycling Capital for 2026.
Elazığ. 750 drones above Cumhuriyet Meydanı on 27 July 2026, at the Doğuş Elazığ gathering, which drew more than 20,000 people. The programme was built on calligraphic compositions.
This is not the whole list, but it shows the range of sites: a stadium, a mosque, a theme park, a city square, the valleys of Cappadocia.
How the Turkish system works
The main question in Türkiye is registration, and it is worth answering before the script is discussed.
Türkiye runs a centralised system through SHGM, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. A commercial operation with unmanned aircraft may be carried out only by an operator registered in the SHGM system. The pilots taking part also have to be registered in the İHA Kayıt Sistemi, with a valid registration.
To register a pilot you need a Turkish identification number, T.C. Kimlik No, or a foreign national’s number, Yabancı Kimlik No, issued to those holding official residence status. Without one of these a pilot cannot be registered.
From that follows the thing that most often comes as a surprise: a foreign team cannot simply fly in and put on a show. If the pilots are not in the SHGM system and hold neither number, the commercial operation is unlawful, and the project stops either at the approval stage or on the day of the event.
Two models work: a Turkish legal entity acts as the operator, or a foreign company works through a licensed Turkish partner. Filing directly as a foreign company, with no Turkish structure, is not possible.
What goes into the application
Registration of the operator in the İHA system. Registration of every drone. Registration of the pilots. An application for the specific operation, with coordinates, altitude and the time window. Civil liability insurance valid in Türkiye.
Depending on the location, approval may also be needed from the provincial governorate (Valilik), the local security authorities and the municipality. That applies in particular to historic centres, tourist areas, districts near airports and sites close to government buildings.
Why the site is fixed early
At an ordinary site it is sensible to allow at least three to four weeks. Where the governorate and the security bodies are involved, four to six weeks or more.
Any change to the coordinates or the altitude after the application has been filed may mean going through the procedure again. So the site and the altitude are fixed before filing, not after the script has been agreed with the client.
We file the application
DRONICO has a registered company in Türkiye, so we can file with SHGM ourselves and carry the approval process for the client. The team and the pilots are Turkish, and the drone fleet is held inside the country.
What else can fly in Türkiye
Custom flying figures. At a children’s celebration in Istanbul we flew a purpose-built phoenix together with drone butterflies. A figure is built around a specific image: the story of the event, or a brand’s own symbol.
Radio-controlled airships and aircraft models. At Greenway’s ninth anniversary, in an indoor arena, airships and aircraft models worked alongside the drones. An airship takes its lift from non-flammable helium, and its speed and altitude are chosen for controllability, so it can work directly above the audience. The envelope can be branded in full.
Indoor shows. Our indoor drones weigh 120 grams and carry propeller guards, so they can fly above guests.
What we fly, and in what weather
Our fleet covers shows of up to 9,000 drones, and a programme can run up to 25 minutes. The record for Türkiye that we set stands at 2,026 drones.
The drones operate in winds up to 12 m/s, in light rain and in temperatures from –10 °C to +50 °C. In Edirne we flew in the rain, and the weather added to the atmosphere.
The launch and technical areas are fenced off physically, with only the working crew inside the perimeter. Around the drones set out on the ground we keep a buffer of some 50 metres. There are no people where the drones take off, transit, perform or land.
The number of drones sets what the animation can do, not just how big it looks. Portrait compositions begin to convince from 1,000 drones, because a likeness needs proportions rather than a silhouette. Text is the demanding part: allow 15 to 20 drones per letter, and often more.
Public liability is insured for two million US dollars, and the cover is worldwide. Our pilots are licensed and the equipment is backed up.
Worth reading next
How approvals work in the country, in detail: permits and regulatory requirements for outdoor drone shows in Türkiye. By city: outdoor drone shows in Istanbul and drone shows in Antalya. How a show is produced from brief to launch: outdoor drone shows. What keeps a show safe above people: safety of outdoor drone shows in public spaces. Work indoors: indoor drone shows. Airships and one-off flying figures: radio-controlled airships, custom flying objects.
Where to start
Tell us where and when the event takes place and what it marks: an anniversary, an opening, a national date, a product launch. The occasion shapes the script and the size of the programme. From the site and the date we work out how long the approvals will take. That is enough for us to come back with a timeline and a price.
