Drone Rules for Heliporto de Covanca
Open-category drone flights are completely restricted within the low-altitude airspace surrounding the Heliporto de Covanca, located near Covanca in the Coimbra district, ensuring unhindered flight paths for civil protection and emergency response helicopters.
An evaluation of the regional airspace surrounding the Heliporto de Covanca underscores its tactical importance for civil protection and emergency logistics near the mountainous border areas of the Coimbra district. This helipad facility supports critical low-altitude helicopter operations, such as aerial firefighting deployments and regional relief missions, which demand entirely clear approach and departure vectors. Because uncoordinated civilian drone activity inside this operational perimeter introduces immediate mid-air collision hazards for flight crews and first responders, rigorous safety boundaries are actively enforced. In accordance with Portuguese Decree-Law under Regulamento 1093/2016, all open-category drone flights are strictly prohibited within the infrastructure's safe radius, meaning operations can only legally proceed with explicit, prior authorization granted by ANAC.