Sky lanterns released during Diwali celebrations drifted towards the aircraft approach path at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, prompting airport authorities to alert Air Traffic Control and local police on Sunday night. No aircraft was hit and flight operations continued without disruption, officials said.
The lanterns were seen rising towards the route used by aircraft preparing to land at the airport. Some pilots operating IndiGo flights reportedly raised concerns after noticing the lanterns near the approach path while descending. Airport authorities then informed ATC and the nearest police station, while personnel monitored the area to maintain safe aircraft movement.
The immediate risk was linked to the location and height reached by the lanterns. Officials said several of the objects drifted towards the airport operational zone after being carried by the wind. The approach and landing stages leave aircraft with limited room for evasive action, making airborne objects near flight paths a safety concern.
Airport personnel recovered more than 100 used sky lanterns from different parts of the operational area on Monday morning. Some were found close to parked aircraft, according to Prasanna Pradhan, director of Biju Patnaik International Airport.
“We found about a hundred used sky lanterns that had fallen on the operational areas of the airport and some even very close to the parked aircraft. During the recent Ravan Podi celebration also crackers had come close to the flight’s approach path,” Pradhan said.
Sources at the airport said many of the lanterns appeared to have been released from areas including Baramunda, Khandagiri and Jagamara. These localities lie along aircraft approach routes to the Bhubaneswar airport. Some lanterns reportedly rose to considerable heights before wind carried them towards the airport zone.
The incident has drawn attention to the difficulty of managing festive activities in urban areas located near aviation infrastructure. Sky lanterns, drones and fireworks can enter flight corridors without a fixed trajectory, creating potential hazards during take-off and landing. In this case, airport officials said the lanterns did not affect aircraft or flight schedules, but the recovery of more than 100 used lanterns within operational areas showed the extent to which the activity reached the airport environment.
Airport authorities responded by coordinating with ATC and local police and by maintaining continuous monitoring during the celebrations. The incident follows a separate concern during a recent Ravan Podi celebration, when crackers reportedly came close to an aircraft approach path. No further operational disruption was reported in connection with either incident.
