Tourist Hit with $231K Fine for Flying Drone Illegally at Spanish Festival

If you’re planning to pack your drone for a European holiday, you might want to think twice about it, or at least brush up on local drone laws before takeoff.

A British tourist is facing a €200,000 (about $231,000) fine after flying a drone without authorisation during a major religious festival in Spain last month. It sounds like an absurd amount, unless you’re familiar with Spain’s strict drone laws, in which case it’s just yet another cautionary tale of many.

The incident apparently happened last month in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands during the Virgen del Carmen festival. The religious festival typically attracts thousands of people and features a spectacular procession down to the beach. Police say that only three drones were authorised to fly during the festival (two police security drones and one official festival drone).

The police tracked the offending drone to the Hotel Las Águilas and found a British tourist piloting it. He admitted to no licence, no insurance, and without any understanding of Spain’s drone laws. The drone was confiscated on the spot.

Six-Figure Fine

The case was immediately handed over to Spain’s State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), which slapped the tourist with the eye-watering six-figure fine. Under Spanish and EU regulations, drone use in urban areas (especially over crowds) requires operator registration, training, insurance, and prior approval. And yes, this applies even to tourists using drones for recreational purposes or travel videos.

Spanish officials have now issued a stern warning to tourists: Drones are not toys. Misusing one, especially during high-security events or in restricted zones, can result in life-changing fines.

Different Drone Laws

For perspective, Spain has one of the strictest drone controls in all of Europe with fines ranging from €60 to €45,000 for minor offenses (e.g., lack of insurance), to €45,001 to €90,000 for serious violations (e.g., flying in restricted areas), and all the way up to €225,000 for the most severe breaches (e.g., endangering people or violating controlled airspace). Honestly, it’s simply not worth taking the risk. Taking a look at the drone restrictions map is clear that there are very few places to safely fly a drone in Spain.

Of course, Spain is just one European country (something that visitors to Europe seem to forget sometimes), and other countries have different laws about drone flying. Iceland, for example, has far more relaxed laws. However, if you are visiting another country and wish to fly a drone, always check the rules and restrictions first, check the maps, and don’t take any risks.

[via petapixel]

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