Method of protecting a part of a surface of an aircraft against contamination with insect residues and/or against icing, comprising the following steps: a) coating the part of the surface to be protected with a coating that can, within a period of ≤ 3 hours from take-off of the aircraft and in normal flying conditions, reduce the adhesion to the part of the surface to be protected until detachment occurs on the basis of (i) temperature change, wherein the temperature change is at least partially caused by changes in the environmental conditions due to the change in flying altitude after the aircraft takes off, and coating materials of the coating are selected from polyurethane dispersions, acrylate dispersions or polyvinyl acetate dispersions or biological binders, and/or (ii) UV radiation using a polymer containing acid-labile groups in the main chain of the polymer, and photo-acids as initiators as coating materials for the polymer coating and/or (iii) addition of a decomposing component selected from enzyme solutions and/or acids and/or bases, and/or (iv) difference in air humidity, wherein the difference in air humidity is at least partially effected by changes in the environmental conditions due to the change in flying altitude after the aircraft takes off, and wherein the coating is a system in which a decomposition process occurs due to a decrease in air humidity at high altitudes, and which preferably becomes so brittle due to the low humidity in the tropopause that it suffers a loss of adhesion until detachment occurs, and wherein the coating has a casein-based low-filled coating material; b) exposing the part of the surface to be protected to (i) a temperature change and/or (ii) UV irradiation (iii) and/or addition of a decomposing component and/or (iv) a difference in air humidity, so that the coating together with any contaminants and/or icing thereon detaches. a) coating the part of the surface to be protected with a coating that can, within a period of ≤ 3 hours from take-off of the aircraft and in normal flying conditions, reduce the adhesion to the part of the surface to be protected until detachment occurs on the basis of (i) temperature change, wherein the temperature change is at least partially caused by changes in the environmental conditions due to the change in flying altitude after the aircraft takes off, and coating materials of the coating are selected from polyurethane dispersions, acrylate dispersions or polyvinyl acetate dispersions or biological binders, and/or (ii) UV radiation using a polymer containing acid-labile groups in the main chain of the polymer, and photo-acids as initiators as coating materials for the polymer coating and/or (iii) addition of a decomposing component selected from enzyme solutions and/or acids and/or bases, and/or (iv) difference in air humidity, wherein the difference in air humidity is at least partially effected by changes in the environmental conditions due to the change in flying altitude after the aircraft takes off, and wherein the coating is a system in which a decomposition process occurs due to a decrease in air humidity at high altitudes, and which preferably becomes so brittle due to the low humidity in the tropopause that it suffers a loss of adhesion until detachment occurs, and wherein the coating has a casein-based low-filled coating material; b) exposing the part of the surface to be protected to (i) a temperature change and/or (ii) UV irradiation (iii) and/or addition of a decomposing component and/or (iv) a difference in air humidity, so that the coating together with any contaminants and/or icing thereon detaches.