These airborne Chinese lanterns have become increasingly popular in recent years as a way of marking special events. However, they do pose a significant danger to aviation traffic and can cause the deployment of Irish Coast Guard resources on false rescue missions. Chinese lanterns, drifting across a night sky, are commonly mistaken by the public for marine distress flares.
If you are intending to release sky lanterns:
You must, before the release date, obtain permission in writing from the Flight Operations Dept of the Irish Aviation Authority. You can contact them at fod@iaa.ie or by phone at 01 603 1148
Just before releasing the lanterns:
To ensure your lanterns are not confused as a sighting of a distress signal, you must contact the following agencies just prior to releasing the lanterns:
- Irish Coast Guard
- Nearest Air Traffic Control unit
- Nearest Garda station
The detailed advice and all contact phone numbers are contained in the IAA’s Sky Lantern safety leaflet, available from their website or by clicking here.
Skerries Coast Guard – a voluntary search & rescue unit of the Irish Coast Guard