What Licence Does a Hot Air Balloon Pilot Need?
Many of our customers ask us, when they come to fly with us: what licence does a hot air balloon pilot need?
To fly any aircraft, and a hot air balloon is one, you need a pilot licence. In Europe, Flight Crew Licensing (FCL) licences are issued by EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency); in our case, this is the Balloon Pilot Licence.
Types of licence
There are two types of licence:
The simpler one is the LAPL(B) (Light Aircraft Pilot Licence – Balloon), which allows you to fly balloons with up to 3 passengers but does not allow commercial flights. It is essentially a private-level licence for smaller balloons.
The more complete one is the BPL (Balloon Pilot Licence), which does allow commercial flights. Depending on the pilot’s experience, it gives access to 4 balloon size classes with increasing passenger capacity: pilots start with small balloons carrying up to around 4 passengers and, as they gain flying experience, can fly higher-capacity balloons.
These licences are designed to keep pilots constantly up to date with the procedures of balloon manufacturers and with regulations as they change. The licence is also subject to periodic medical checks, which assess each pilot’s fitness to fly.
In Spain, all balloon pilots and airlines that operate passenger balloon flights are supervised by the civil aviation authority – AESA https://www.seguridadaerea.gob.es
Balloon pilot. Maps and tools
The oversight of pilots and operators, together with flying in the best conditions, always in the early hours of the day, makes hot air ballooning one of the safest and most peaceful experiences anyone can enjoy.
If all you want is to enjoy a smooth, relaxing hot air balloon flight, come and fly with us. Our licensed pilots will be delighted to make your flight as enjoyable as possible, and you will be in constant contact with them to ask any questions you may have.
Where to fly in a hot air balloon
You can book your tickets for any of the destinations we fly from. You will find all the information at:
