Barcelona has been a pioneer in some aeronautical chapters. One of the most remembered stories dates back to February 11, 1910, when French aviator Julien Mamet made the first airplane flight in Spain from the Casa Antúnez racecourse. More aeronautical milestones and feats followed during years when aviation became a craze and a symbol of society's modernity. There were also ups and downs, when during Franco's regime the bulk of the aeronautical industry definitively left Barcelona and the construction of an airport befitting the city was excessively delayed.
These are stories that take us way back. Some are well-known and others went more unnoticed. Among the latter, there is a very curious one related to helicopters where Barcelona was once again a pioneer, and initially this only transcended with a brief in La Vanguardia on June 20, 1963. This announced the registration of the first civil helicopter in Spain, a small Hughes 269 imported from the United States and destined for a Barcelona company: TAF, Trabajos Aéreos Fotogramétricos.
It was quite a novelty and an advance, as until then the authorities did not look favorably on such a singular artifact as the helicopter being in private hands. All those flying until then were military aircraft. TAF, which for many years was domiciled on Mestre Nicolau street, very close to Turó Park, was the first helicopter company in Spain and, until its name change and integration with different companies in the sector in recent years, it was also the most veteran operator, only surpassed by Iberia, founded in 1927, which debuted with a flight between Barcelona and Madrid and another simultaneous one in the opposite direction.
In the mid-80s, the city was also home to the first company specialized in medicalized helicopter services and subsequently the RACC, wanting to emulate other European automobile clubs, created its own helicopter company, Aviser, which eventually merged with the historic TAF, which by then already had its registered and operational office at Sabadell Airport.
Along with the Basque Country, Catalonia was also a pioneer in having helicopters at the service of the autonomous government. It must be remembered that activating a helicopter for a fire rescue service, today seen as absolutely normal, was an exception in the 80s. The same applies to medicalized helicopters, which can currently even fly at night in case of emergencies; until the late 90s, they were nowhere near the impeccable public service they are today. Here again, Catalonia was one of the pioneering communities in the state. Today, the aircraft of the Servei d'Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) operate practically like a UVI ambulance… although they fly and arrive in a matter of minutes to any point in the country, departing from one of the four fixed bases for these aircraft in the different health regions into which Catalonia is divided.
Catalonia has 41 heliports
Although the versatility of helicopters allows them to land anywhere with sufficient dimensions, which they can always do in an emergency or with the owner's authorization if other types of flights are carried out, the trend in recent years has been towards the progressive certification of these aeronautical facilities to be able to operate without restrictions on the number of flights and guaranteeing obstacle-free zones for these aircraft.
According to the basic aeronautical information manual published by Enaire, Catalonia already has 41 certified heliports, which makes it the area of Spain with the highest number of these facilities, followed by the Community of Madrid, which has 17. Although during Esperanza Aguirre's presidency, a plan was carried out to build temporary helipads throughout the territory, something similar to what was done in Castilla La Mancha, with an enormous deployment, only a few ended up being certified in those territories.
Medical emergencies
Of the 41 Catalan heliports, 23 are in the province of Barcelona, eight in Tarragona, six in Girona, and four in Lleida. Focusing on the case of Barcelona, there are eleven assigned to hospitals and clinics. Within the municipality, those with the highest activity due to being reference hospitals are Sant Pau, with a landing platform elevated over the most modern part of the complex, and the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. Currently, a parking lot conditioned on the other side of the Ronda de Dalt is used there, while work on the elevated flight platform over the traumatology and emergency building is being completed. Another hospital with significant ambulance helicopter activity is Sant Joan de Déu, specialized in pediatrics, gynecology, and obstetrics. There is a fourth medical center in Barcelona city that also has a heliport: Teknon, in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, owned by the Quirón hospital group.
Within the municipality, those with the highest activity due to being reference hospitals are Sant Pau, with a landing platform elevated over the most modern part of the complex, and the Vall d'Hebron University HospitalIn the metropolitan area there are also other important hospitals to which the most serious patients can be transferred by helicopter, such as the Trias i Pujol, better known as Can Ruti, in Badalona, and Bellvitge, in L'Hospitalet.Moving a bit further from the capital, although reasonably close and even more so if we travel by helicopter, we also find medical centers with certified aeronautical facilities such as the Hospital de Mataró, the General de Catalunya in Sant Cugat del Vallès, and the Parc Taulí de Sabadell, the operational base for the ambulance helicopter that serves the Barcelona health region and the Central Catalonia region, a division made by the Departament de Salut of the Catalan government. Within this second region, two other Barcelona hospitals have helipads: those in Manresa and Igualada.
Offices, hotel and port
In addition to the four helipads at medical centers, Barcelona has three other unique ones: one is on the roof of the Racc headquarters at the highest part of Avenida Diagonal. As we recalled earlier, the Real Automóvil Club de Catalunya was the owner and co-owner for years of helicopter operators. Almost next to this facility is the helipad of the Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I hotel, temporarily closed, which in the past offered arrival and departure from the hotel by air as one of its five-star grand luxury services.
The last of this group is at the northern entrance of the port and has been operational since 2004. It is the helipad of the Port Authority of Barcelona, used for tourist flights, passenger services, as a base for the Servei Catalá de Trànsit helicopter, and also occasionally for emergency helicopters that require it, such as police, maritime rescue, or air ambulances. It has two hangars and maintenance service on request.
More activity near Barcelona
Fira de Barcelona also has its own facility for passenger and authority flights: it is a double platform on the roof of pavilion 1 of the Gran Via venue, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, while another helipad specific for arrival and departure of passengers from a hotel is that of the Can Bonastre wine resort, in Masquefa.
Two private operators also have their own facilities as a base for their operations: Helipistas and BG Helicopters. The first owns the Teresa Vila heliport, in Ullastrell, east of Terrassa, from where it operates passenger flights, photographic flights, filming flights and other aerial works, as well as aircraft maintenance. The second is the current operator of the General Services heliport of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, from where BG, of the Bigas Group corporation, offers all kinds of aerial services, although it has specialized in passenger transport, both those related to events held at the speed circuit itself and also VIP flights, transfers, including flights to any point in Spain or tourist excursions. Inside the circuit there is a second heliport, in this case exclusively for medical evacuations and there is always one or two aircraft during Formula 1 races, motorcycle Grand Prix or training days for different teams.
And there's more
Surely the reader of The New Barcelona Post who has come this far has been counting the different facilities and sees that there are still four certified heliports to describe in the province of Barcelona. Here they are: one is that of the Centre Egara, headquarters of the Mossos d'Esquadra, within the municipality of Sabadell. In Berga, next to the local fire station and in the Garraf Natural Park, there are two others. The second is the base of one of the bomber helicopters of the Bombers de la Generalitat for fighting forest fires. The last one is inside a private estate in Sant Martí Sescorts, in the small town of L'Esquirol, in the Osona region. It is owned by the same owner of the estate, a helicopter enthusiast who has his own aircraft parked in a hangar at the house.
All the mentioned facilities are those that as of today are certified as permanent heliports in Catalonia. This does not mean that aircraft cannot operate in other hospitals, hotels or estates, although in this case they do so with certain restrictions on the type of operation or on the possible number of takeoffs and landings they can perform per month.
In addition, there is the circumstance that the large helicopter operation center in the territory is Sabadell Airport, where the main hangar of the Departament d'Interior is located, as well as the headquarters of the main operating and maintenance companies for these aircraft. It is also where the bulk of helicopter pilots receive their training courses.