Sky lanterns, balloons and fireworks near airports: bans and permits

A wedding couple releases two hundred heart-shaped balloons, sky lanterns drift into the evening sky at a garden party, and at midnight the rockets hiss upward. What looks like a festive mood on the ground ends up a few kilometers away in the middle of an approach path. That is why there are clear rules for sky lanterns, balloons and fireworks near airports: from blanket state bans through the air traffic control clearance requirement to extended notification periods for fireworks. This article sorts out the German regulations, takes a look at Austria and Switzerland and explains why spotters in particular should pay close attention.

The short answer

In Germany you can practically nowhere release sky lanterns, least of all near an airport. For mass releases of balloons, bundled balloons and unguided self-propelled flying objects you need an air traffic control clearance in controlled airspace – and around commercial airports, this airspace begins right at the ground. Fireworks are mainly a matter of explosives law; fireworks that require notification in the immediate vicinity of airports must be reported four weeks in advance instead of the usual two.

Why balloons and lanterns are a problem for air traffic

Aircraft are most vulnerable on approach and shortly after takeoff: they fly low, slow relative to their mass, and the crew has their hands full. It is exactly in this altitude band – from a few hundred to a few thousand feet – that released balloons and lanterns drift with the wind.

• Foreign objects in the engine: Balloon skins, strings or the wire frame of a lantern do not belong in a fan or a pitot probe. Even if nothing happens, a suspected foreign object can lead to inspections – similar to a bird strike.
• Distraction and confusion: Glowing dots moving across the night sky can confuse crews – from a distance they may look like the position lights of other aircraft.
• Unpredictability: Unlike an aircraft, a balloon has no transponder and no pilot. Air traffic control only knows about it if someone reported the release beforehand.
• Fire hazard: Sky lanterns carry an open flame and can drift for kilometers. If they land burning, they ignite roofs, fields or forests – including on airport grounds.

You notice how tightly the airspace around a runway is used at any spotting position in the approach path. What applies there for your own safety is described in the guide Spotting under the approach path.

Sky lanterns: effectively banned

Sky lanterns, also called Chinese lanterns, wish lanterns or Kong Ming lanterns, are small paper hot-air balloons with a burning fuel cell. Legally, they are “balloon-like luminous objects”. Two levels apply to them in Germany:

1. State law because of the fire hazard. After fires caused by sky lanterns, including one with a fatality, the German states prohibited releasing them by ordinance from 2009 on, or made it subject to a permit. Where there is no explicit ban, the authorities require a permit, which in practice is not granted.
2. Aviation law. Section 21 of the Air Traffic Regulations lists releases of balloon-like luminous objects as requiring clearance in controlled airspace. Paragraph 3 expressly clarifies that state-law bans continue to apply alongside it. An air traffic control clearance therefore does not lift the state ban. Who is responsible for such clearances in Germany is explained in the article on DFS German Air Navigation Services.

How serious the consequences of such a lantern can be was shown on New Year’s Eve 2020: at Krefeld Zoo, the ape house burned down and numerous animals died, including great apes. Sky lanterns that had been launched despite the ban are considered the trigger; an investigation for negligent arson was opened against those responsible.

Balloons: when clearance is required

A single balloon that slips away from a child at an airport festival is not a matter for air traffic control. Planned events are a different story. Section 21 (1) LuftVO requires an air traffic control clearance for use of controlled airspace by:

• Mass releases of children’s balloons – such as the classic balloon contest with postcards, a school or club anniversary or the bridal couple with heart-shaped balloons,
• bundled children’s balloons – that is, several balloons rising together,
• unmanned free balloons of the heavy and medium class as well as light balloons over 500 grams if they launch within an airfield control zone – this applies, for example, to weather or research balloons.

For mass releases and bundled balloons, the organizer is responsible for obtaining the clearance; for free balloons, it is the person launching them. The same obligation applies to drones and model aircraft in the same section; you can find the details in the article Drones at airports.

What “controlled airspace” means here

The crux is the airspace. Around commercial airports there are control zones (CTR) that extend from the surface up to a defined altitude. If you launch inside a CTR, you are in controlled airspace from the first meter. Outside it, controlled airspace in many places only begins a few hundred meters up – but balloons get there quickly. Any aeronautical chart shows where the boundaries lie in your area; how to read it is explained in Recognizing airspaces and control zones on charts. The system of classes A to G is covered in Airspace classes explained.

Situation	Clearance under Section 21 LuftVO?	Further rules
Single children’s balloon slips away	no	–
Mass release at a festival, launch in the control zone	yes, by the organizer	possibly municipal requirements, litter and nature conservation aspects
Bundled balloons, launch in controlled airspace	yes, by the organizer	possibly municipal requirements
Weather balloon over 500 g, launch in a control zone	yes, by the person launching it	observe class limits for free balloons
Sky lantern, anywhere	clearance does not help	state bans because of fire hazard

Fireworks near airports

With fireworks, two areas of law come together. The basic rules are in explosives law, specifically in Section 23 of the First Ordinance to the Explosives Act (1. SprengV):

• New Year’s Eve fireworks of category F2 may be set off by adults aged 18 and over on December 31 and January 1. During the rest of the year, this is only allowed for holders of a permit, a certificate of competence or an exemption.
• Off-limits places: In the immediate vicinity of churches, hospitals, children’s and senior homes and particularly fire-sensitive buildings or facilities, fireworks are generally prohibited. On top of that come municipal prohibition zones that many cities set for the turn of the year.
• Notification requirement: Fireworks with category 2 articles outside New Year’s Eve, as well as large displays of categories 3 and 4 and certain stage and technical pyrotechnics, must be reported to the responsible authority in advance – normally two weeks ahead.
• Airport surcharge: If the launch site is in the immediate vicinity of airports, railway facilities or federal waterways that are maritime shipping routes, the period is extended to four weeks.

The longer period has a practical reason: for a large fireworks display near an airport, the launch site, burst heights and time must fit with flight operations, and that takes lead time. Professional pyrotechnicians know the procedure. Private individuals who order a firework “just like that” for a celebration should ask the provider directly whether the launch site is near an airport and who handles the notification.

Beyond that, Section 21 LuftVO lists unguided self-propelled flying objects as requiring clearance in controlled airspace – this includes model rockets, for example. Anyone handling rockets near a control zone should therefore find out in advance whether, besides explosives law, a clearance from air traffic control is also needed.

What you risk for violations

Anyone who fails to obtain an air traffic control clearance contrary to Section 21 (1) LuftVO commits an administrative offense under Section 44 LuftVO in conjunction with Section 58 (1) No. 10 of the Air Traffic Act – even through mere negligence. The fine range there goes up to €50,000. How high a fine is in an individual case depends on the circumstances.

For sky lanterns, the fines of the respective state ordinance come on top. And as soon as things get serious, the matter leaves administrative offense law:

• Section 315 StGB – dangerous interference with air traffic: Anyone who impairs the safety of air traffic through obstacles or a comparably dangerous interference and thereby endangers people or significant property risks a prison sentence of six months to ten years. Negligent conduct is also punishable, with a lower range of penalties.
• Arson and civil law: If a lantern sets a building on fire, criminal proceedings for negligent arson and damage claims that can quickly run into the hundreds of thousands are likely.

You know the same principle from other sources of disturbance in the sky: laser pointers aimed at aircraft and drone sightings at airports are also prosecuted consistently, because they hit crews in the most critical phase of flight.

Austria and Switzerland at a glance

In the neighboring countries, too, sky lanterns are no longer a party item:

• Austria: Since December 2009, putting sky lanterns on the market has been banned by a separate ordinance. For releases of other kinds in controlled airspace, Austro Control is the contact; an overview of air traffic control there is given in Austro Control and Skyguide.
• Switzerland: There is no nationwide ban. Within a radius around airfields, however, releasing them is prohibited, and many cantons and municipalities have issued stricter rules. Around EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, a considerably larger distance applies than elsewhere.

If you spot or celebrate abroad, read up on the local regulations beforehand. What to keep in mind generally when spotting across the border is summarized in Plane spotting abroad.

What this means for spotters

You probably do not release balloons at the fence. Still, the topic touches your hobby in several places:

On top of that comes your role as an eyewitness. Spotters often stand exactly where approaches run low over residential areas, such as at the Munich Airport visitors’ hill (Besucherhügel) or the Affenfelsen in Hamburg. If you see a swarm of balloons, glowing objects or a drone rising near the runway there, report it through the police emergency number or the airport’s security service. At some airports, spotters work with the security authorities explicitly for this purpose – more on that in the article Spotters as security partners.

And one more reason to take the topic seriously: the less trouble uninvolved people cause around airports, the more relaxed the relationship between airport operators and spotters stays. What you may do yourself at the fence is explained in Is plane spotting allowed? and The airport operator’s house rules.

Important notes

• Clearance is not permission for everything. An air traffic control clearance only regulates the use of airspace. State, municipal and explosives law continue to apply alongside it.
• Distance does not protect automatically. Balloons drift far. Even a launch several kilometers from the airport can end up in controlled airspace and in arrival or departure paths.
• Ask in good time. Authorities and air traffic control need lead time. If you call a week before the party, you have already missed the deadline for fireworks near an airport.
• Think of the environment. Many municipalities now view balloon events critically anyway because of the plastic and rubber litter – an alternative on the ground spares you discussions.

Conclusion

Around airports, the sky does not belong to the party. Sky lanterns are effectively ruled out in Germany by state bans, mass releases of balloons, bundled balloons and unguided flying objects need clearance from air traffic control in controlled airspace, and fireworks near airports require four weeks of lead time. The basis for this is Section 21 of the Air Traffic Regulations and Section 23 of the First Explosives Ordinance. Anyone who follows them protects crews and passengers – and, as a spotter, also the good reputation of a hobby that depends on the goodwill of airports.