Drone Pilot Who Halted Flights This Morning Says He Was Unaware of Applicable Regulations

The Fiscal and Border Patrol of the Civil Guard in Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) identified and fined a man for operating a drone without authorization less than a kilometre from Fuerteventura Airport, causing several commercial flights to be diverted.

According to a press release from the Guard, the aircraft was flying inside a Controlled Traffic Region (CTR) – a controlled airspace that surrounds airports to ensure the safety of manned aircraft, especially during take‑off and landing phases. Drones are prohibited in these zones unless an explicit clearance is obtained from air‑traffic control.

The alert was triggered when airport staff reported seeing the drone at low altitude and crossing the runways perpendicularly.

Caused Two Diversions and Four Delays

The illegal flight not only breached current regulations on unmanned aircraft but also created a safety risk by forcing two flights to be diverted to Gran Canaria and delaying the landing and departure of four other flights.

As an immediate safety measure, all airport operations were temporarily suspended from 07:00 to 08:10, affecting roughly 600 passengers.

A patrol from the Fiscal and Border specialty (PAFIF) arrived on the scene and located the operator, who was flying a DJI FLIP drone weighing 249 g in restricted airspace without air‑traffic control permission.

“I didn’t know the regulations that apply,” the pilot told authorities.

The incident constitutes a serious violation under article 48.3 of Law 21/2003 of 7 July on Air Safety, for breaching operational limits concerning aeronautical easements and the use of airspace.