Two airports in northern Thailand said Wednesday that nearly 150 flights will be canceled or rescheduled during a three-day festival next week when revelers launch lanterns into the sky that can pose danger to airplanes.
The cancellations will affect evening flights from Nov. 24-26, when Thailand celebrates the Loy Kratong festival.
Chiang Mai International Airport, the main airport in northern Thailand, said in a statement that it will cancel 84 flights, including 12 to international destinations, during the three-day festival period. It will also reschedule 51 flights.
Chiang Rai International Airport plans to cancel six flights and reschedule five during the same period, said airport official Saengduan Hongsaenkham.
Most of Thailand celebrates the festival by floating small boat-shaped baskets with flowers and candles into lakes and rivers to carry away their bad luck. But revelers in northern towns choose to send off their bad luck in hot-air balloons or lanterns.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/northern-thai-airports-cancel-flights-due-lantern-risks-35272483