Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that as a result of the Civil Aviation General Directorate’s efforts to ensure safe flights in hot air balloons, a total of 310,301 balloon flights were conducted, carrying 5,863,176 domestic and foreign passengers from 2011 to May 1, 2024.
Minister Uraloğlu shared details about the hot air balloon businesses operating in Turkey, their fleets, and hot air ballooning activities. He emphasized that Turkey conducts the world’s largest commercial hot air balloon operation in terms of traffic volume and number of flying days. The Minister highlighted that the number of flights conducted in a single day in Cappadocia exceeds what can be achieved in other regions of the world only during festivals.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that there are 67 licensed hot air balloon companies and 6 approved training organizations in Turkey, with 434 balloons and 682 balloon pilots operating within these businesses. He noted that hot air balloon flight activities are carried out in seven regions in Turkey, namely Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Soğanlı, Çat, Ihlara, Afyonkarahisar, and Antalya, with over 80% of these flights taking place in Cappadocia.
The Minister conveyed that the number of commercially transported balloon passengers reached a record level of around 750,000 in 2022, and in 2023, 27,318 flights carried 615,063 people in balloons. As of May 1, 2024, 183,574 people had flown in balloons, and Minister Uraloğlu expressed the possibility of reaching record levels even before the start of the holiday season.
Minister Uraloğlu highlighted that Cappadocia’s climate and wind structure allow for flights on up to an average of 280 days per year. He mentioned that an average of 2,500 balloon flights are conducted monthly in the region, serving around 50,000 passengers per month. This translates to approximately 600,000 passengers annually, a figure Minister Uraloğlu emphasized as unique worldwide.
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