Udon Thani airport warns residents about bamboo rockets
Udon Thani International Airport on Thursday warned local residents to observe rules for firing Isaan traditional bamboo rockets so that they do not affect flights.
Kittichai Sajjalak, director of the airport, said he feared that 16 to 19 flights to and from the airport would be affected if people ignored the rules announced by the province last year.
Kittichai said the bung fai bamboo rockets could be fired from the middle to the end of April but the areas around the airport in Muang, Warin Chamrab and Don Mod Daeng districts were off limits.
People who want to launch rockets are supposed to seek permission from the provincial administration.
Rockets also are not supposed to be larger than 10 centimetres in diameter and not fly higher than 1,250 metres so that the do not affect flights.
Kittichai added that less than 15 rockets could be fired each day.
Since 2013, the number of rockets launched during the holiday period has dropped, based on the permission requests. In 2013, 146 rockets were launched, while last year permission was sought for only 57 rockets.