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Hot air balloon floats over Kelowna airport runway

The hot air balloon landed just north of the airport on Wednesday
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Image Credit: Ryan Donn

A hot air balloon made an unplanned and unexpected appearance at the Kelowna International Airport on Wednesday.

Kelowna City Councillor Ryan Donn caught the festive-looking balloon on camera and commented that it seemed awfully close to in-coming and out-going planes.

“You got the hot air balloon, basically, trying to land at the airport,” jokes Donn. “I don’t think that is what the airport improvement plan was for.”

However hot air balloons are regulated just the same as airplanes and must abide by air traffic control.

While this hot air balloon didn’t plan to land at their airport did make its way into YLW’s airspace.

Jodie Foster, communications with YLW, says hot air balloons function much like airplanes and its pilots do talk to air traffic control.

“This pilot to connect with our air traffic control yesterday and decided to land near the airport,” she said.

The balloon actually landed on the rail trail at the north end of the airport.

Foster adds while hot air balloons over the airport are not a regular occurrence, it’s completely fine if a balloon doeses fly over the airspace.


@Jen_zee
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca

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Jen Zielinski

About the Author: Jen Zielinski

Graduated from the broadcast journalism program at BCIT. Also holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from Thompson Rivers University.
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