Brazil’s civil-aviation regulator ANAC has formally notified samba school Portela and the Rio Carnival organiser LIESA after Portela’s opening float featured a performer lifted by an eight-rotor “super-drone” inside the Marquês de Sapucaí sambadrome in the early hours of 18 February. The agency has demanded details of the aircraft, proof of registration in the national unmanned-aircraft system (SISANT), and the identity and licence of the remote pilot. Portela has ten days to respond.
Under Brazil’s RBAC-E 94 regulation, drones are strictly prohibited from carrying people or operating within 30 metres of the public unless a physical barrier is in place. Videos of the parade show the dancer hovering about five metres above fellow performers with no protective cage, a scenario that ANAC says “could have caused a fatal accident”.
![ANAC opens investigation after Portela flies manned drone during Rio Carnival parade]()
For overseas drone teams, performers, and journalists hoping to take part in or cover future Carnival festivities, the first hurdle is often simply getting the right travel documents. VisaHQ can streamline Brazil’s visa application process, offering step-by-step guidance, document checking and expedited service so visitors can focus on creative and regulatory preparations rather than bureaucracy. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/
The episode is the most high-profile breach of Brazil’s drone rules to date and comes at a sensitive moment: the government is finalising a new regulatory framework for advanced air mobility that will also cover passenger eVTOL aircraft. Industry observers worry that spectacular – but unauthorised – displays could fuel public scepticism and slow approvals for legitimate air-taxi trials planned for São Paulo ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Event organisers and corporates planning marketing activations that involve drones are now on notice to secure the requisite flight permits and to brief creative agencies on safety obligations. Failure to comply can lead to fines of up to R$120,000 and, in serious cases, criminal prosecution for endangering public safety.
Under Brazil’s RBAC-E 94 regulation, drones are strictly prohibited from carrying people or operating within 30 metres of the public unless a physical barrier is in place. Videos of the parade show the dancer hovering about five metres above fellow performers with no protective cage, a scenario that ANAC says “could have caused a fatal accident”.
For overseas drone teams, performers, and journalists hoping to take part in or cover future Carnival festivities, the first hurdle is often simply getting the right travel documents. VisaHQ can streamline Brazil’s visa application process, offering step-by-step guidance, document checking and expedited service so visitors can focus on creative and regulatory preparations rather than bureaucracy. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/brazil/
The episode is the most high-profile breach of Brazil’s drone rules to date and comes at a sensitive moment: the government is finalising a new regulatory framework for advanced air mobility that will also cover passenger eVTOL aircraft. Industry observers worry that spectacular – but unauthorised – displays could fuel public scepticism and slow approvals for legitimate air-taxi trials planned for São Paulo ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Event organisers and corporates planning marketing activations that involve drones are now on notice to secure the requisite flight permits and to brief creative agencies on safety obligations. Failure to comply can lead to fines of up to R$120,000 and, in serious cases, criminal prosecution for endangering public safety.
