Unmanned Balloons Presenting A Safety Hazard To Aircraft

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) -representing over 100,000 commercial airline pilots in more than 100 countries around the world - is working closely with the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authorities and its member association Associação Brasileira de Pilotos da Aviação Civil (ABRAPAC) to address the continuing serious safety concern throughout Brazilian airspace posed by large unmanned balloons.

The urgent need for action to resolve this issue was graphically illustrated by the incident involving a burning balloon and a commercial airliner on 9 May 2016 at Guarulhos Airport in Sao Paulo.

IFALPA and ABRAPAC are urging the Brazilian Authorities to immediately enforce laws banning these dangerous activities. Regulations and effective enforcement action must restrict the balloon activity to specific areas at specific times, thus enabling the airspace to be formally closed to aircraft.

ABRAPAC and the Civil Authorities in Brazil have the full support of IFALPA whilst they work to ensure the safety of passengers is not threatened by the illegal launching of these balloons.

(Source: IFALPA news release)

FMI: www.ifalpa.org