This is the terrifying moment a balloon loaded with fireworks crashes in flames on an Airbus passenger jet as it’s refuelling on the runway.

The balloon – released for a Mothers Day festival in Brazil – crashed down on the jet’s fuselage at Rio de Janeiro’s Santos Dumont airport on 14th May.

Footage of the drama shows that within seconds it had burst into flames while its cargo of firecrackers began to go off as it rolls behind he plane.

Just yards away the Azul Airlines A320 can be seen being filled with highly volatile aviation fuel through a wide pipeline.

As firefights struggle to put out the blaze the firecrackers send out showers of sparks before eventually being damped down with an extinguisher.

Amazingly, no-one was injured in the fire.

The airline later claimed that the balloon “did not cause damage to the aircraft and did not impact the schedule of the company’s flights”.

This is reportedly the second time a balloon crashed at the airport this month alone.

Another balloon fell at the site on 7th May, causing a plane about to land to take emergency evasive action.

Many countries having banned the use of fireworks balloons on safety grounds.

But they remain very popular in some regions of Brazil, where they are released each year during the June Festivals.

Earlier this month, the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department launched a campaign on its social networks showing that fireworks balloons can potentially be fatal.

The firefighters’ campaign against those who release balloons in Rio de Janeiro aims to educate about the possible consequences.

About 100,000 balloons are released each year in Brazil, according to data from the Centre for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

The State of Rio de Janeiro is reportedly among the leaders in sightings of unmanned fireworks balloons.