Major mishap averted in Hyderabad as hot air balloon makes emergency landing

A hot air balloon carrying three passengers made a safe emergency landing near Ibrahim Bagh Lake in Hyderabad on Saturday after a technical glitch caused a loss of air pressure. The incident occurred during the State government-organised hot air balloon festival.

Hyderabad: A major accident was averted during the hot air balloon festival here on Saturday. A hot air balloon, which took off from the city outskirts with three passengers in the basket, reportedly made an emergency landing near Ibrahim Bagh Lake due to a technical issue.

According to reports, the balloon suffered a technical glitch mid-air that led to a gradual loss of air pressure. The pilot safely landed the balloon in an area close to the lake, despite facing challenging terrain. All passengers reportedly managed to escape without injuries.

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Meanwhile, the SkyWaltz Balloon Safari, Adventure Tourism Private Limited, clarified that the balloon executed a normal and controlled landing.

In a statement, the SkyWaltz said 18 hot air balloons were operated successfully on Saturday.

All balloons took off, flew, and landed safely as per standard international hot air ballooning practices, it said, adding, “The balloon executed a normal, controlled landing. The landing was not done on a lake as is being circulated in some social media handles. There was no malfunction, emergency, or safety incident”.

The company mentioned that hot air balloons do not have predetermined landing sites and do not operate from runways. “They fly in the direction of prevailing winds, and pilots select safe, open landing areas, such as empty fields, in accordance with global aviation norms,” it said.

Stating that all balloon operations were conducted with licensed pilots and registered aircraft, SkyWaltz said at no point was passenger safety compromised.

The State government, as part of the Sankranti celebrations, is organising the hot air balloon festival, featuring international standard balloons that arrived from European countries, till January 18.

In addition to long rides over 10 kms, the balloons also offer tethered rides at Parade Ground in Secunderabad on Saturday and Sunday evening. Registration for these rides have also been booked.