Weather, stray balloons and birds threaten flights ahead of Eid

Jakarta — AirNav Indonesia has warned of several potential aviation safety disruptions during the Eid period, ranging from extreme weather to stray hot air balloons frequently released by the public.

Setio Anggoro, director of operations at AirNav Indonesia, stated that weather remains the primary concern for current flight operations.

“The first operational precaution during Angleb is extreme weather. Rainfall remains quite high in several regions of Indonesia,” Setio said during a press conference on Monday, 16 March 2026.

High rainfall intensity continues in several strategically important aviation regions across the country.

“Particularly on the islands of Java and Bali as well as Sulawesi, whereas in Sumatra rainfall has begun to decrease,” he explained.

Beyond weather, volcanic activity also remains a monitored variable by AirNav. However, currently there is no volcanic activity directly disrupting flight operations.

“Then there is volcanic ash. There are several active volcanoes, but currently they are not disrupting flights such as Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara,” Setio said.

Another recurring disruption that appears annually is stray hot air balloons released by the public after Eid. This tradition is frequently observed in several areas on the island of Java and poses potential dangers to aircraft.

“These stray balloons are one potential aviation hazard. They typically appear after Eid from Eid day through the seventh day post-Eid and beyond,” he explained.

AirNav has conducted extensive public outreach campaigns to reduce these risks.

Additionally, an equally important threat is the risk of bird strikes. According to Setio, Indonesia’s geographical conditions create considerable potential for such incidents, particularly around airports.

“Bird strikes are also a fairly high potential hazard in Indonesia due to the numerous fish ponds, rice fields surrounding airports and other environmental factors,” Setio said.

He expressed hope that various potential disruptions could be minimised through coordination between AirNav, airport operators and the public.

“Hopefully this year these disruptions can be reduced so that flight operations continue to run safely and smoothly,” Setio said.