In the news: manager Johan flies over the Taj Mahal in India

Article from De Krant van West-Vlaanderen

Last week, the Taj Balloon Festival took place for the second time in the Indian city of Agra. Agra is the city of the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. A hot air balloon from clothing store Bonafida in Rollegem-Kapelle also took to the skies.

“Ballooning in India is still quite unique today,” says Johan Vander Meiren. “It is only the second time that balloons have flown in this region. With every landing, a mass of spectators gathered. Out of nowhere, easily more than 500 people appeared to see and touch the craft. Indians from the lowest caste, who do not speak English and do not know what a hot air balloon is. Impressive to experience. The living conditions are still not good. Both in the city and in the countryside, it is a struggle without sewage and with inadequate electricity and water supply.”

600 meters from the Taj Mahal

To ensure safety, each team was accompanied by a police escort. “This was done to prevent the crowd from causing damage to the balloons. Every evening, the balloon was set up in the darkness. The combination of darkness and the flames from the burners created a special spectacle,” Johan added.

“Daily flights were conducted at a mandatory minimum distance of 600 meters around the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Since a hot air balloon has no steering, motor, or brakes, this task was no easy feat. The Indian balloon company Sky Waltz organized the meeting and coordinated the takeoff locations every morning.”

“Technically, the balloon flights were quite complex, as there was quite a bit of wind at low altitude during the first few days. But since all the balloonists present had extensive experience, that was not a problem,” the Beselarenaar puts into perspective. “There were teams from the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, India, Poland, and Switzerland. In the meantime, our team has returned to Belgium and we are preparing for the upcoming season in 2017.”

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