Spots · Madeira (Portugal) · Coast · East

Ponta de São Lourenço

The island's eastern tip, a Natura 2000 site inside the Natural Park; IFCN authorisation is required before launching.

Permit per flight for this profile · last checked 2026-10-07

The two readings

By the book

What the official pages say, for an operator registered in the EU or EEA flying the drone you chose above.

Madeira (Portugal), for you: Open after a stepDecided by registration, Remote ID, minimum age. 1 place- or time-specific permit to plan around.
This ground, today: Permit per flightNatura 2000 site inside the Parque Natural da Madeira: IFCN authorisation before the flight.

Ground rules in force on 7 October 2026

Natura 2000 site inside the Parque Natural da Madeira: IFCN authorisation before the flight.
Permit per flight · confirmed
- S9ANAC Registo, Sistema de Registo de UAS · ANAC
- S20Todo o Terreno · IFCN, IP-RAM

On the ground

Too few confirmed reports to say4 dated reports, 2026-01-20 to 2026-08-30 · practice pass 2026-10-07

One case is confirmed: a video near Madeira Airport was reported to ANAC and the police in August 2026 with no offence established at the time. Nothing we could open records a fine, a seizure or a stop anywhere else, and the community threads behind the wider reading were unreachable.

No report we found names Ponta de São Lourenço

These are the three newest reports from Madeira (Portugal) instead; read them as the country's weather, not as this spot's.

2026-08-30 · Near Madeira Airport (Cristiano Ronaldo) · press
The same case in the English-language local press: questioned publicly about flying so close to the runway, the author of the images claimed there were no restrictions in Madeira and referred to the instructions given by the application he used.
Authorities were to verify the location and altitude of the flight, the proximity to the runway and aircraft, and whether any specific authorisation existed. No penalty is reported. report
2026-08-30 · Near Madeira Airport (Cristiano Ronaldo), surroundings of runway 05/23 · press
A video showing the airport infrastructure and the surroundings of runway 05/23 was published on social media, and the drone operation behind it was reported to the authorities.
Formally reported to ANAC and to PSP airport security, with the National Aeronautical Authority and ANA informed. The article states that to that point nothing allowed the conclusion that the operator flew without authorisation or committed an offence. report
2026-07-12 · Madeira trail viewpoints including the PR1 route, r/Madeira thread · community
[unverified] Reported as users warning that many intended locations are restricted and that authorisation should be applied for in advance. The thread could not be opened from the verification pass.
No incident or penalty reported; the discussion concerns access and permission. report

Where it is

32.7434, -16.6961: a gazetteer position good to a few hundred metres, not a launch point. The scale bar is on; the pin carries your status here.

Launch notes

Strong gusts on the ridge; the trail is narrow and busy mid-morning.

Best time

Golden hour, low wind

Nearest aerodrome: Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (LPMA, large airport), 8.9 km (computed 2026-10-07).

Volcanic coastline, placeholder image — placeholder (Lovable prototype image, generated) · placeholder, not for publication · AI-generated image

Field notes

What happened on the ground here, from pilots who flew it, dated and kept apart from the official rules.

No field notes yet.

Last checked 2026-10-07. Newer than that? Look here:

Rules move between our checks. These are the pages that publish the changes first, split into the official ones and the places where pilots report what is happening.

Back to the Madeira (Portugal) card · Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC)

Official pages

ANAC, UAS operator registrationofficial
The registration and insurance rules page. It stamps its own revisions, currently 5 February 2026, so a change to what a visiting operator must do shows up here first.
ANAC, UAS geographic zones mapofficial
The authoritative zone consultation. A new or widened prohibition zone appears here before anyone writes about it.
ANAC UAS registration portalofficial
The portal itself; changes to the registration process and product safety alerts show on its front page. It carries no news feed, so read it against the registration page above.
IFCN drone authorisation on SIMplificaofficial
The regional service for flying over the Parque Natural da Madeira and Natura 2000 sites; a change to the form, the fee or the lead time lands here. It is a JavaScript application, so open it in a browser rather than fetching it.

Where pilots report

Diario de Noticias da Madeirapress
The regional daily that broke the August 2026 airport case and ran the fact-check the same day. Portuguese, publishing daily.
Madeira Island Newspress
The English-language local paper that carried the airport case; the quickest read if you do not have Portuguese.
TripAdvisor Madeira Islands forumcommunity
Where visitors ask before travelling and post trip reports, 15,932 topics and active this week. Stands in for r/Madeira, which the verification pass could not open.
DronesGator, Portugal rules pageoperator
A commercial summary that is kept current and is worth a glance for rule changes. Treat its fine figures with care: the 300 to 7,500 euro range it states appears on no official page we opened.