A general view shows the hot air balloon (top-R) that exploded and plunged to earth, amongst other balloons leaving a launch site near Egypt's ancient temple city of Luxor, prior to the incident on February 26, 2013. The Civil Aviation Authority believed that hot air balloons were undermining safety guidelines and measures to ensure the safe landing and takeoff of airplanes. After the rectification of the “approach zones”, hot air balloon flights resumed their activity.Hot air ballooning is an extremely popular pastime for tourists visiting Egypt. The tour allows tourists to oversee the green fields on both sides of the Nile, and the sunrise over Karnak and Katchibsut temples, as well as the beautiful city.“Between 12 and 18 hot air balloon trips are conducted daily in Luxor,” Egypt’s Hot Air Balloon Union told media outlets in May 2017.There are eight companies that organize hot air balloon flights in Luxor. They arrange these flights for tourists and they are subjected to strict security measures.

Source: Egypt Today January 05, 2018 16:30 UTC