Disturbing Aviation Paths, Pekalongan Residents Are Prohibited From Flying Air Balloons

Pekalongan City Satpol PP officers confiscated a number of wild balloons from the community. (ANTARA/HO-Humas Pemkot Pekalongan)

JATENG - Pekalongan City Government (Pemkot) prohibits people from flying balloons into the air illegally. This activity disrupts flight routes as well as endangers lives.

Head of the Pekalongan City Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports Office, Sahlan, emphasized that the release or flying of hot air balloons is not allowed even though the city government has obtained permission from the Ministry of Transportation to hold the 2023 Air Balloon Festival.

"We invite the public to take part in the hot air balloon competition. However, the hot air balloon must be moored, not released into the air illegally," he said in Pekalongan, Central Java (Central Java), Wednesday, April 26, as reported by Antara.

He said that in general, regulations regarding hot air balloons have been regulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number 40 of 2018 concerning the Use of Air Balloons at Community Cultural Activities.

In the ministerial regulation, he said, the air balloons used should not be released illegally into the air but must be moored.

Retno said that the release of wild air balloons would disrupt flights. Moreover, the flight path in the northern air region is the second busiest number two after the United States.

"In the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number 40 of 2018, it is clearly regulated about the size of the air balloon, its height, the location of the handling until the time of the air balloon. So the balloon is not released but tied with rope, and moored," he said.

According to him, the city government will continue to socialize the dangers of air balloon flights, kites, drones either through social media or socialization to the village.

"Therefore, if there are communities and agencies that wish to hold an activity related to hot air balloons, kites, and drones, they must obtain permission from the Ministry of Transportation," he said.