The wind is turning at Châtelaillon-Plage.
The seaside resort located on the outskirts of La Rochelle has decided to put an end to the helicopter first flights offered during the International Kite Festival.
The controversy over these polluting aircraft has continued to grow in recent years.
The municipality has therefore decided: the 30th edition organized from March 30 to April 1, 2024 will no longer allow flying over the coast and the hundreds of kites deployed for the occasion.
“The helicopter is no longer in fashion, it no longer had its place,” confirms Stéphane Villain, the mayor of Châtelaillon-Plage at the helm of this event.
800 kites
Labeled “eco”, the festival had already “scaled back” last year, says the elected official.
Nearly 2,000 people were still tempted by this experience reduced to a few minutes of flight.
But claiming an “eco-responsible” approach while offering these baptisms with the taste of kerosene seemed like an untenable acrobatics act.
Especially since the Châtelaillonnais festival counts among its “committed partners” Sea Shepherd and Écho Mer, two environmental associations working to defend the oceans.
“Our activities must be more and more virtuous.
Those of kite flyers are sufficient in themselves.
The helicopter no longer fit into this framework,” Stéphane Villain now believes.
This year, more than 800 kites will be deployed in the skies of Châtelaillon-Plage.
Organized with the support of nearly 200 volunteers from the town, the International Kite Festival hopes to exceed – without the sound of a rotor this time – the 150,000 visitor mark.