Spain's Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA) is to request all information regarding flight permits for the four helicopters that landed at a finca in Colonia Sant Jordi on Thursday and left on Friday. The information will be requested from the state air navigation company, Enaire. As is also the case with the AENA airports authority's operations centre, regulations require that Enaire has a flight plan so that it is known at all times where helicopters are - from where they are taking off and where they are landing.
Aviation sector sources suggest that events such as that in Colonia Sant Jordi do occur from time to time and that even if property owners give permission to land, there can be potential irregularities as well as safety risks. If it is shown that there were breaches of regulation, AESA will apply the relevant sanctions. These will be against the owners of the helicopters, whether Spanish or foreign; it is known that the largest of the helicopters was Swiss.
The property in question is known as Villa Salines. Recently acquired by a Belgian couple, it operates as a holiday home. Local sources say that there were some 15 people in all, that they were American and had flown from Ibiza. The intention had been to stay for three to four days and look at properties in the area. They left on Friday because of the controversy that had been caused.
On the Camí de ses Colonies, the finca is in a so-called rustic zone, which is nevertheless a built-up area with overhead power lines. The same local sources insist that it is not possible to get permission to land at the finca - regulatory permission, that is.