The growing presence of windmills, solar panel fields, drone training zones and Natura 2000 protective areas makes it increasingly difficult in the Netherlands how NOS makes hot air ballooning more and more difficult.
“Of course we think that is a shame, but it's just the changes in the landscape,” Frank de Goede, director of Greetzz Balloon Flights, told NOS. “We hardly had to deal with ten years ago.”
There is no official data about the number of obstacles, said de Goede. “It is what we observe in practice.” Solar parks are not contained on aviation cards, although windmills and drone training areas are. “So of course we take this information into the flight planning.” As a result, large parts of North Holland and the Flevopolder have become unsuitable for ballooning.
Climate change also makes the balloon difficult. According to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), higher temperatures, more irregular wind patterns and heavy showers increase the risk and cause frequent flight cancellations. The KNMI shared these concerns last week in a message to the balloon sector cited by the NOS.
Despite these challenges, the hot air balloon, since the restrictions of Covid-19 have ended, has recovered. In 2015 there were around 4,500 balloon flights a year. During the pandemic, flights went back to zero, but last year the number rose to 8,000. In addition, the average number of passengers per flight has doubled from four to eight in the past ten years.
“We now appreciate the number of passengers annually at over 60,000,” Monique Hoochlag to NOS told the Balloning Department of the Royal Dutch Aviation Association. The sector comprises around 100 balloon companies with 10 large operators and 90 smaller most active regionally.
“In the past, people have taken balloon trips for milestone events such as 50 or 25 years in a company. Now younger adults see it increasingly as a must. The effects of covid-19 on people's prospects strive to use such opportunities,” said Hoochlag.
The weather in April and May plays a major role in the balloon success, said Hoochlag, who has been a pilot for 35 years and has Wilco Air. “Good spring weather usually means a good summer. When we see balloons in the sky, our phones shine,” he said to NOS.
However, farmers and gardeners do not always welcome the growing popularity of ballooning. Some get angry when balloons fly over their country. The sound of gas burners can scare cattle such as cows, sheep or ponies, which means that they panic and scatter in panic and scatter. Ballon landings can also damage harvests.
The LTO Nederland agricultural group has tried to achieve agreements with commercial balloon operators. According to a report from 2012 in the Trade Journal Nieuwe Oogst, LTO has had several conversations with balloonists, but has never agreed what makes fair compensation for damage or violations for farmers or gardeners.