Snakes in intersection when planes face danger

At the autose -field, two kilometers from the Jakarta International Airport, the rustling snakes are periodically drowning with a thunderous crash of aircraft.

Pressing the strings of the air serpent in the field, this is a group of children, their neck rose to the sky. But their eyes are also pressed below, seeking patrolling of airport officials who can confiscate their air snakes – and fun.

“In the past, my friends and I escaped when the officer came,” the BBC tells a seven-year-old atyphus, one of the children in the field. “Now I’m ridiculous, so I’m going with him when they scold me.”

“If my air snake is accepted, it’s sad, but I can always do another.”

This is where the dragging war between the airport authorities and one of Indonesia’s most cherished entertainment is unfolding.

Kite is popular in Indonesia – especially at this time of year when students go on summer holidays. But the authorities issued warnings about the air snakes, which, according to them, are a danger of safety when they block the aircraft sensors or caught on the engines.

For three days in early July, the air snakes thwarted 21 flights at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which is near the paddy wagon, Airnav Indonesia air transport reports. Some were redirected to another airport and some interrupted landings, counting too dangerous to go to the air snakes.

Keats-is “relocation” for aircraft and “serious risk of flight safety”, Eco Kahjadi’s Wora, Head of the International Airport of the Solacarno-Hatta, according to the BBC.

“We don’t want the crash to happen.”

Such fears are not unfounded.

In July 2024, the helicopter crashed into Bali after he became confused in the strings of the air snakes, injuring three Indonesians and two Australians on board.

In July 2020, strings and bamboo sticks from the air snake were found in the engine of the aircraft after it arrived at Soekarno-Hatta. While the plane managed to land without failure, the incident has caused serious security problems. Next month, the airport created an operational group for hacking air snakes near its premises.

Five years have been going on the problem. In July, the Minister of Transport Dadi Pourwandhi called on the airport authorities and regional governments throughout Indonesia to minimize the damage that air snakes are inflicted on flights.

“This is definitely an interesting activity, but we also need to teach them to prevent the public or children engage in activities that can endure flights,” says Mr.

His colleagues tried to give children football goals and badminton rackets to send them to other sports. But the kite flight is woven into the tissue of Indonesian culture.

Traditionally made of leaves, multicolored paper or fabric, air air air air air air and air air air air air air -air air air papers fly in Indonesia for various purposes: for the rice ceremony to chase birds from the harvest or, to balls as a form of prayer and proposals.

“The air snake flight was handed over to generations from our ancestors. In almost every Indonesian region, there is a tradition of flying air snakes,” says Ostap Iran, an expert from the Indonesian Museum.

“However, we need to be careful, especially (with) children. They just fly. They don’t see potential danger.”

Those who caught flying air snakes, drones or other things that are at risk around airports may be imprisoned for up to three years or fined for a billion Rupee Indonesian ($ 61,000; £ 46,000).

But not only on Airstrips snakes can be dangerous. In densely populated areas, air snakes are also deadly distracting. Last year, an eight-year-old boy died after he went to the paid road to the depot, south of Jakarta. Police believe he was beaten by a car pursuing an air snake.

In 2020, the man was arrested after his air snake crashed and fell on the base of the ball, causing the hours of shutdown in more than 70,000 houses and buildings.

Returning to the paddy wagons near the Soocar-Hati airport, the children say they do not mean to mess with the aircraft they are tough to find the best places for their hobby.

Jakarta lost 31% of its city green spaces between 2000 and 2020, when the fields and forests gave way to overloaded roads and apartment blocks.

“There is nowhere else to be nowhere,” says Rasha, a 17-year-old boy who makes and sells air snakes. “There is another place, but it’s still near the airport. There are just no other flight.”

The Paddy Field is now a community of air snake lovers who organize regular air snake flight competitions. Rasha won them twice.

Previously, he got into trouble with patrolling airports that formed it and confiscated their snakes.

“Police even came to our house and took two of my air snakes and burned them, threads and all. After that, my siblings scolded me and told me to stop. But recently I started flying again,” he says.

“It’s quite dangerous. But once your air snakes have taken away, you will stop afraid.”