The bill would update Spain's air navigation and aviation safety laws

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would amend the 1960 Air Navigation Law and the 2003 Aviation Safety Law to align them with European rules and new technologies, such as unmanned aircraft (drones).
2. At airports of general interest, a single Environmental Commission would be created, instead of several bodies, to deal with the infrastructure's environmental impact. It would include representatives of the State, the autonomous communities and affected municipalities.
3. The rules on airport master plans and aeronautical easements, the limits on land use around airports and air navigation facilities, would be consolidated into one law. Construction in those areas would require a prior favorable approval from the State Aviation Safety Agency.
4. The aircraft identification plate would be simplified: the owner's name would no longer be required, so the plate would not need to be replaced when the aircraft changes hands.
5. New offenses would be created for violating drone rules (registration, identification, flight zones or remote pilot training), and offenses against non-acoustic aeronautical easements would be graded as minor, serious or very serious depending on their impact, instead of all being very serious.
6. Remote pilots of drones would have to take breathalyzer and psychoactive substance tests when required by law enforcement, and cooperation by security forces would be arranged to help oversee these operations.
7. The bill would create the Official College of Air Traffic Controllers of Spain, with voluntary membership, and the National Commission for Air Transport, bringing together the Transport minister and regional transport officials to coordinate airport policy and protect passenger rights.
8. Extra budget credits would be approved to pay subsidies to scheduled air traffic from prior years and from 2024 and 2025, in the amounts of 319,211 and 1,200,000 thousand euros respectively, and the law would enter into force twenty days after publication in the Official State Gazette.

Words worth knowing

Servidumbre aeronáutica (aeronautical easement)

A legal limit on land use around airports and air navigation facilities, so there are no obstacles or noise that make safe operations impossible.

Aeronave no tripulada (UAS)

Commonly called a drone: an aircraft that flies without a pilot on board, controlled remotely.

Plan director (master plan)

A planning document that defines an airport's service area and plans its future development.

Silencio administrativo negativo (negative administrative silence)

If the administration does not answer in time, the request is deemed denied, unlike the usual rule.

Comisión ambiental (Environmental Commission)

A body where the State, autonomous communities and municipalities meet to advise on an airport's environmental impact.

It summarizes the text passed by the Senado. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries