The air space of the great Brazilian cities is full of obstacles. In addition to birds and dozens of other aircraft flying simultaneously, pilots need to be aware of control tower coordinates and the visual appearance itself. This is because, every day that passes more balloons fly over the Brazilian sky and end up entering the classic routes operated by the commercial aircraft of national and international airlines. The data are from the National Center for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa).

For example, the agency reported a 52% increase in the number of balloon alerts in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year. This year alone, there were 395 notifications of these near-aircraft artifacts – an average of 65.8 per month – compared with 235 annotations last year. The State of São Paulo accounts for 60% of the cases. The State of Rio de Janeiro appears in second place, followed by Paraná.

The Brazilian Association of Civil Aviation Pilots published a statement on its website, warning of the growing risk of balloons causing an air tragedy. “We are working against what has always been our culture, trying to prevent the risk before the tragedy happens. We will not let it happen and then take action, “says the entity’s spokesman, Commander Bolívar Kotez.

The release of balloons, when it interferes with air traffic, is a crime of attack against the safety of air transport, according to the Penal Code, with a penalty of 2 to 5 years of imprisonment. The Environmental Crimes Act prohibits manufacturing, selling, transporting and releasing balloons that may cause fire, providing for detention of 1 to 3 years, and a fine. In São Paulo, still according to Cenipa, the airports most prone to this risk are Viracopos, in Campinas, with 273 records in the last four years; Cumbica, in Guarulhos, with 265; Followed by Congonhas, with 142.