A British vacationer is staring down a potential €200,000 (approximately £174,000) penalty after launching an unauthorised drone during a religious festival in the Canary Islands last month.
Police spotted the aircraft buzzing overhead during the beloved Virgen del Carmen celebration in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, on July 15th. Officers tracked the device back to the four-star Hotel Las Águilas, where they confronted the tourist responsible.
The holidaymaker confessed to flying without proper certification, insurance coverage, or any understanding of Spain’s aviation rules. Authorities confiscated the drone and passed the matter to AESA, Spain’s aviation safety watchdog, for formal proceedings.
Spanish and European Union rules require drone pilots to complete several steps before take off: registering as operators, passing training courses, and securing insurance policies.
During the festival, aerial activity was limited to just three authorized aircraft – two police surveillance drones monitoring crowd safety and one capturing official footage of the event.
The British tourist’s unauthorised flight broke multiple laws and created genuine safety risks given the thousands of festival goers below.
Spain doesn’t mess around when it comes to drone violations. The penalty structure includes:
- €60 to €45,000 for basic violations like missing insurance
- €45,001 to €90,000 for major infractions such as entering forbidden zones
- €90,001 to €225,000 for the most severe breaches that threaten public safety or disrupt air traffic
Holiday drone enthusiasts need to jump through several hoops before flying anything heavier than 250 grams or equipped with recording capabilities:
- Sign up as an operator through AESA
- Pass their free online certification course
- Stick identification numbers on your equipment
- Get liability insurance coverage
- Research where flying is actually allowed
- Stay clear of cities, crowds, airports, and conservation areas without special permission
Anyone planning to bring a drone to the Canaries should sort out the paperwork and permissions well before their trip to avoid this tourist’s expensive mistake.
