Two rental models and who buys what
There are two fundamentally different services on the Warsaw market. Bare rental is a hardware lease: you receive a DJI Mini 3 case, cables, batteries, and fly it yourself. Rental with an operator is a service: a pilot arrives with the drone, secures clearances, flies, and hands over the finished video. Pricing differs not by a few percent but by multiples, because they are different products for different jobs.
Bare rental, no pilot
From 250-350 PLN per day for a DJI Mini 3 or Mini 4 Pro at shops like MegaDron, PROZONE Rent, or private renters. Fits if you already have an EASA A1/A3 certificate, a valid OC policy, CTR EPWA experience, and you fly for personal use — a holiday film or a side project. For a commercial job without your own paperwork, this is not an option: PansaUTM will not issue a permit.
Drone rental with operator (turnkey)
From 600-900 PLN net per hour, from 1 600 PLN net per full day. The fee covers an EASA-certified pilot, a UAV OC policy of 1M+ PLN, CTR EPWA clearance via PansaUTM, ND filters, color grading, and Frame.io delivery. This is the format for realtors, agencies, developers, and event teams — everyone who needs the result, not the process.
What's included in drone rental with operator in Warsaw
- EASA A1/A3 pilot with ULC registration and CTR Chopin experience
- C0 or C1 class drone — DJI Mini 4 Pro, Mavic 3 Pro, or Avata 2 FPV
- Compensa VIG UAV OC policy of 1M PLN
- PansaUTM clearance and DroneTower check-in for the shoot day
- ND 8/16/32 filters and batteries for 60+ minutes of flight
- RAW DNG photos and 4K H.265 10-bit video
- Basic color grading in DaVinci Resolve
- Frame.io delivery with a 30-day revision window
When to hire an operator vs. take bare rental
If you already hold your own certificate and insurance, bare rental is 60-70% cheaper on projects longer than a day. If you do not have the paperwork or it's in process, do not fly solo: the ULC fine for flying inside a CTR without registration is up to 30 000 PLN plus drone confiscation. For one-off commercial jobs (real-estate, advertising, weddings, construction), operator-included rental is the only legal route.
Drone rental with operator in Warsaw — pricing
- 1 hour with DJI Mini 4 Pro on a single site — 600-900 PLN net
- 4 hours (half-day) covering 2-3 locations — 1 200-1 600 PLN net
- 8 hours (full day) with Mini 4 Pro + Avata 2 — 1 800-2 800 PLN net
- Wedding package, 6 hours with two pilots — 2 800-3 800 PLN net
- Monthly construction orbit (4 RTK flights) — from 4 200 PLN net
Frequently asked questions
- Can I rent a drone with an operator in Warsaw for just 30 minutes?
- The minimum rental is 1 hour at 600-900 PLN net. 30-minute slots are not offered: the operator's transit, CTR clearance, and pre-flight prep take roughly the same time as the flight itself.
- Rental with an operator costs more — what is the premium for?
- For legality, insurance, and the deliverable. Bare rental gives hardware but does not grant the right to fly inside the Chopin CTR without your own paperwork. Operator-included rental is a turnkey service: pilot, insurance, permits, RAW files, and finished video.
- Can I rent a drone with an operator for FPV?
- Yes. Avata 2 with a raceband pilot — from 1 800 PLN net per shift. Suited for cinematic flythroughs of interiors, banquet halls, warehouses, or industrial floors.
