Sky lanterns giving air traffic controllers headache

With sky lanterns increasingly getting popular among Mumbaikars, it has become a cause of serious concern for air traffic controllers at the airport.

The Mumbai branch of Air Traffic Control (ATC) department, which is responsible for civil aviation navigation, has recently written to its headquarters in Delhi highlighting the growing hazard of sky lanterns in the flight path of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). It feels that if the situation is allowed to remain unchecked, then it could lead to accidents. "Sky lanterns are increasingly becoming a cause of concern for us. So, we have intimated our headquarters about it," said a top ATC official.

The Air Traffic management (ATM) officials at the Delhi headquarters were not available for comment.

As per the Indian aviation rules, flying instruments like paragliders, hot balloons, drones, sky lanterns, etc. are not allowed in the approach path of airport's runway, which is approximately about 15.5 degrees on each side of the centre of runway and up to an altitude of around 2,700 feet. Since Mumbai's is a hyper sensitive airport from security point of view, the local police have banned all such flying instruments in the city. Last week, two persons were held by airport police for releasing gas balloons in the approach path of airport during a sports event.

In Mumbai and other parts of India, it is increasingly being released during Makar Sankranti, Diwali, Christmas, Valentine's Day, marriage anniversaries and birthdays, corporate events, etc.

According to aviation experts, sky lanterns can travel to unpredictable heights. "This unpredictability of flight could cause sky lanterns to become a risk to aviation through airborne engine ingestion or on the ground as sky lantern debris has the potential to produce FOD (Foreign Object Damage), which can cause damage to aircraft," reads a statement from CAA posted on its website. The Civil Aviation Authority is the UK's aviation regulator.

The growing demand for sky lanterns can be gauged from the fact that every e-commerce portal has seen tremendous demand in the segment, even though the companies refused to divulge the figures. Umesh Dharwadkar, proprietor of India Sky Lantern, a Pune-based online portal, confirms: "The demand for sky lanterns is increasing with each passing year."

When asked to comment on the dangers sky lanterns pose to the aviation industry, Dharwadkar agreed about lack of awareness among the general public with regards to laws regarding its usage. "There is lack of awareness about its safety rules among public. This is the reason we print on sale invoice the warning that sky lanterns should not be released within 8km of an airport's radius," he adds.