Drone Rules for Montes Claros Airport / Mario Ribeiro
Critical No-Fly Zone covering Montes Claros Airport (SBMK) and its regional flight corridors. All unauthorized drone flights are strictly prohibited within this airspace to eliminate the risk of mid-air collisions with commercial passenger planes and flight school aircraft.
Montes Claros Airport – Mário Ribeiro (SBMK), managed by Aena Brasil, is the main aviation hub serving the northern region of Minas Gerais. The airport accommodates scheduled commercial flights connecting the region to major national hubs like Belo Horizonte, alongside a steady flow of rotary-wing aircraft, executive charters, and local pilot training schools.
Because the facility is closely integrated into the urban layout of Montes Claros, commercial turboprops and jets operate at very low altitudes over populated residential areas, highways, and industrial sectors during their final landing approaches and initial departures. The active presence of student pilots performing low-altitude flight maneuvers further elevates the collision risk. Consequently, spontaneous, recreational, or uncoordinated civilian drone operations are completely banned inside the airfield's grid and its active traffic circuits. Violating this airspace is a federal crime under Article 261 of the Brazilian Penal Code (exposing an aircraft to danger).
Regulatory Authorities: DECEA (Department of Airspace Control), ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency), and Aena Brasil.
Primary Framework: Brazilian Air Force Command Instruction ICA 100-40 (Access to Airspace by Unmanned Aircraft Systems) and the Brazilian Penal Code (Art. 261).
Flight Planning Portal: Real-time restriction overlays, active safety grids, and mandatory geofencing zones are managed via DECEA's official SARPAS NG and Aisweb portals.