Filming from drones, helicopters and similar are regulated by Civil Aviation regulations, and the production company must have the corresponding permits to be able to perform this. The entity in charge of regulating and controlling civil aviation safety in Spain is the Spanish State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) .
To film aerial images by aircraft, it is essential to hire a company and a pilot certified by AESA. It will be this company’s responsibility to carry out the necessary procedures to authorise the flight and ensure that it runs smoothly.
Helicopter and aeroplane aerial photography flights are deemed specialised commercial operations. There are minimum altitudes with which all flights must comply and that may condition the aerial shots that you wish to record.
On the AESA website in the aerial work operations section you can find further information on regulations, operator licensing and other issues of interest in relation to this type of operations.
It is recommended that you bear in mind that aerial filming in the Community of Madrid is restricted to a specific flight area, so it is advisable to request all the relevant information from AESA before locating and defining the characteristics and route of the flight to be performed. In the ENAIRE Insignia application you can consult the areas in which there are flight restrictions.
As with other aircraft, there is a legal framework that regulates the activity and enables safe development of the remotely piloted aircraft sector, the so-called drones or RPAS[JW2]. Information on national and EU regulations can be found on the AESA website in the drones section.
Given this regulation, to take images with remotely piloted aircraft, it is essential to have a certified company and pilot, responsible for processing the necessary authorisations and for flying in urban areas. The AESA website provides information on the minimum requirements to fly any drone as of 31 December 2020 .
Operations in areas where there are agglomerations of buildings, such as the main municipalities of the Community of Madrid, will require a specific authorisation from AESA based on a specific aeronautical safety study.
Regardless of these air permits, it is necessary to inform the local administrations of the operations to be carried out, taking into account that take-off and landing will be made from the ground.
Due to the population density in the Madrid region and the nature of Madrid's airspace, which has several civil and military airports, heliports and aerodromes in its territory, there are some restrictions on the operation of aircraft. In the ENAIRE drones application you can consult the areas in which there are prohibitions or restrictions on drone flights, as well as hazardous areas and other alerts.
