Abstract: Geological disasters affect every continent with a large population, especially in mountainous countries or regions, and its disasters are obviously high, hidden and sudden. Knowing the history and status of disasters in advance through geological surveys is of great significance for the final realization of potential disaster identification and early warning. At present, it is difficult for traditional artificial ground survey methods to discover and identify major geological hazards and hidden dangers in complex mountainous areas such as dense vegetation coverage or high and steep terrain. As a multi-functional comprehensive detection technology, aerial remote sensing can efficiently obtain the development and distribution characteristics of geological hazards and the temporal and spatial evolution laws due to its unique field of view and not being restricted by ground conditions. First, we summarize the types and development trends of aerial remote sensing platforms commonly used in the field of geological disasters, and analyze the advantages of different load sensor information processing technologies and the main problems of geological disasters. Second, the key research achievements of aerial remote sensing technology in five application stages of geological disaster basic terrain mapping, early identification, investigation and evaluation, medium and long-term monitoring, and emergency response are reviewed, and the requirements and advantages and disadvantages of various technical methods at different stages are discussed. The shortcomings of the application of aerial remote sensing technology in the field of geological hazards are summarized, and the future development trends and suggestions are clarified.