Public interest does not, by itself, decide the character of a tandem flight

Regulatory change — effective 30 October 2026

The 2026 amendment to the paragliding rulebook was published on 22 October 2026 (Službeni list 156/2026) and takes effect on 30 October 2026. The new Article 11a requires a pilot using passenger-flight privileges to have made at least 25 passenger flights in the preceding 12 months, or to pass an authorized practical proficiency check before using that privilege if the experience condition is unmet. The amendment also addresses medical and third-party/passenger liability insurance documents. Calling a flight private, non-commercial, NVO-led or paid does not by itself establish compliance. This dated notice is not a clearance for a person, site or flight; consult the official text and the Civil Aviation Agency before acting.

An educational purpose is not the legal classification

An association may educate, popularize the sport, and create a public-interest demonstration. That explains the purpose of the program. It is not yet an answer to whether a particular flight is private, commercial, a tourism service, an organized aviation activity, or a public aviation event.

The facts need to be described in plain language:

• who invites and selects participants;
• whether money, a donation, a membership fee, grant-funded pilot work, or another benefit is tied to the flight;
• whether availability is public, recurrent, or guaranteed;
• who assigns the pilot, the direction, and the day;
• who informs the passenger and takes the signed statement;
• who carries operational and participant responsibility.

A possible non-commercial scenario and its conditions

A defensible public-interest demonstration keeps the promise narrow: the program explains paragliding and may create a supervised first-contact opportunity, but it does not sell seats or promise a flight. A qualified tandem pilot conducts the flight, decides whether weather and participant fit line up, and remains responsible for the operation. The organizing body does not take passenger payment, sell tickets, or assign the pilot, and does not become a provider only because it explains the activity.

The word “non-commercial” in a title does not decide anything by itself. A participant fee, a donation tied to a flight, recurrent public slots, paid pilot work, or a contract may require a different reading.

Tandem safety and site duties remain

The amended paraglider rulebook retains tandem-pilot status, medical conditions, passenger information, a statement, and recent flight experience or an instructor check.

Those duties do not disappear because the demonstration is educational. Neither do airspace limits, the right to use the land, equipment, weather, the pilot’s final decision, or the current off-aerodrome check. Take-off and landing outside an aerodrome is maintained in the separate pilot and site guide; it does not classify the NVO arrangement.

When Article 24 becomes a question

Article 24 of the Air Transport Law requires Civil Aviation Agency approval for civil aviation events. Not every NVO tandem is one. The question becomes material where public-aviation-event features appear: a public program, organized flying activity, spectators, several flights or participants, a declared event identity.

The responsible wording is therefore “check whether Article 24 applies.” Not “NVO demonstrations are always exempt,” and not “every demonstration needs event approval.”

Sources and status

Primary aviation sources: the Air Transport Law, the paraglider rulebook, and the Civil Aviation Agency legislation index. The exact wording of the NVO law and economic-activity boundaries still need source closure. Tourism duties should be checked against current official sources, not an archived FAQ alone.

Source review 30 August 2026. This is not an NVO authorization, a participant confirmation, or a legal opinion.