Pasha Balloons Board of Directors Chairman Aydoğan: “While we were importing hot air balloons, we are now exporting them” “The 67th hot air balloon production will be completed by the end of the year”NEVŞEHİR The Cappadocia region, which is one of the regions where hot air balloon tours are most intensely held in the world, has managed to come to the fore with hot air balloon production as well as hot air balloon flights. Domestic and national hot air balloons produced by Pasha Balloons Production Inc. in the Ortahisar town of Ürgüp District of Nevşehir are being exported abroad.

Providing information about the production stages of hot air balloons, Pasha Balloons Production Manager Hakan Zengin said; “The production process of a balloon can vary according to the size of the balloon. Our production ranges from 2-person training balloons to 28-person commercial balloons. Balloon production varies between 2 days and 4 weeks. We start balloon production with the design. The production process begins for balloons whose design is approved. Balloons, which we evaluate as aircraft, consist of a fabric section called a dome, a basket section used to carry passengers and a firing section called bourne which heats the air inside the dome. We produce all parts here locally and nationally. Our basket consists of a steel skeleton. Apart from that, we make braid from organic bamboo wood. The feature of bamboo wood is that it is very light and flexible. The flexibility of bamboo wood, especially during hard landings, prevents many accidents. In addition, being lightweight also saves fuel,” he said. “We can compete” Stating that they have transformed from a country that imports balloons to a country that exports balloons, Pasha Ballons Chairman of the Board of Directors Mehmet Halis Aydoğan said; “The effects of this are returning positively. This makes us happy as a manufacturer. Due to the expansion of the production line in our region and being a global company, it increases our chances of exporting to the entire world,” he said. “We will have completed the 67th balloon by the end of the year” Aydoğan; “Stating that they have left behind the third year in hot air balloon production; “The production of your 64th balloon is currently continuing. We want to make a rapid start to 2023 by producing the 67th balloon by the end of the year. Our goal for 2023 is to exceed 100 balloons. The balloons we produce are 20, 22, 24 and 28-person balloons. I can say that we stand out in passenger balloon production compared to our other competitors in the world,” he said. “The country that imports the most balloons is Egypt” Stating that Egypt is one of the countries to which the most hot air balloon exports are made, Aydoğan; “Demands from Korea and Laos continue to increase. We will also export to Europe in the near future. In addition, demand for balloons from countries in Africa where commercial balloon flights are carried out continues to increase. After Turkey, the countries where hot air balloon flights are most intensively carried out are Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt and Myanmar.

Due to internal unrest in Myanmar, flights are currently not possible. Laos is developing very quickly,” said Pasha Balloons Chairman Aydoğan: “We used to import hot air balloons, now we export them”