A total of 308,000 passengers traveled on 13,000 hot air balloon flights across Türkiye in the first half of the year, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has said, citing data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM).
Uraloğlu said Türkiye ranks among the world’s leading destinations for hot air balloon operations in terms of both traffic volume and the number of flying days. He noted that 71 hot air balloon operators are currently licensed by SHGM, while six approved institutions provide training for the sector.
Balloon flights are conducted in destinations including Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Soğanlı, Çat, Ihlara, Şanlıurfa-Göbeklitepe, Afyonkarahisar and Antalya, according to the minister.
Türkiye hosted 915,000 domestic and international passengers on 40,000 balloon flights in 2025, Uraloğlu said.
The minister said the number of hot air balloons operating in Türkiye has risen to 530, with more than 80 percent of all flights taking place in the Cappadocia region.
“Hot air balloon operations in our country continue to grow every year,” Uraloğlu said, adding that nearly 6.9 million domestic and foreign passengers have been carried on approximately 350,000 flights across Türkiye since 2011.
Uraloğlu also said Turkish-made hot air balloons are now exported to 11 countries. A total of 53 balloons have been shipped to Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Oman, Tanzania, South Korea, Japan, Mexico and Jordan, he said.
Egypt was the largest export market, purchasing 27 Turkish-made balloons, according to the minister.
