Residents of Bishkek will be able to see their city from a bird's-eye view starting at the end of October — a stationary hot air balloon is planned to be installed in the capital.
The balloon has already been brought to Bishkek and was shown to the public twice in September.
Its owner, Oleg Braun, promises that by the end of October it will have a permanent location in the capital.
Due to legal restrictions, the balloon will not be able to fly over the city — it will be tethered to its location and will regularly lift passengers to a height of 40 meters.
“Currently, technical and paperwork issues are being resolved. But flying over the city is completely prohibited; it will just stand still and carry people as an attraction,” Braun told Kloop.kg in an interview.
The owner of the attraction could not specify the ticket price, but promised that the prices would be “affordable” for the residents.
The balloon will be operated by two people — one in the basket above and the other on the ground.
Since there are no schools in Bishkek that can teach the art of hot air ballooning, Braun has sent his future pilots to study in Russia and Lithuania.
Observation Deck
If this project is realized, the hot air balloon will become one of the highest observation decks over Bishkek.
Today, the highest point in the city accessible to anyone is the roof of “Bar 12” in the BTA Bank building in the center of Bishkek, located at a height of about 36 meters.
The tallest buildings in the capital have 18 floors and a height of about 54-56 meters, but none of these buildings have roofs open to the public.
Braun has already attempted to launch the balloon at two events in Bishkek, but to avoid putting spectators at risk, he lifted it no more than 7 meters and without spectators.
City authorities have not yet commented on Braun's initiative.
After Bishkek, similar balloons are planned to be installed in Osh and near Lake Issyk-Kul.
Additionally, the owners plan to rent it out to anyone interested.
“Residents can invite us to hold a corporate event with the pilot and the balloon,” explains Braun.
Stationary hot air balloons are particularly popular in Eastern Europe, where they often become one of the main attractions.