How Much Does a Hot Air Balloon Cost?

One of the questions our passengers ask most often is: how much does a hot air balloon cost? How much does a hot air balloon actually cost?

In this post we answer that question, focusing on the cost of the balloon itself: the envelope, basket, burner and all the components that make up a hot air balloon.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for the price of tickets for a hot air balloon flight, this link shows the price per person for every way to enjoy this wonderful experience.

PRICE OF A HOT AIR BALLOON

The first thing that affects the price of a balloon is its size. The size determines how many passengers it can carry, from the smallest balloons, for one or two people (the pilot and one passenger), to the largest ones, which can carry more than twenty passengers.

Why does size determine the price of a balloon?

Size determines the price because the size of the fabric, the size of the basket, and the number of burners and fuel cylinders all grow in proportion to the number of passengers the balloon carries, and therefore the weight it has to lift. It is similar to the way a motorbike, a car and a bus do not cost the same: the amount of raw material and the hours of work are proportional to the different sizes.

Skilled manual work.

Building the different parts of a balloon is still done by hand. The processes are so precise and meticulous that they cannot be automated. Naturally, everything is carried out under strict aeronautical regulations: a hot air balloon is an aircraft that must meet all current rules so that balloon flights can be carried out with complete safety. The materials used – fabrics, steel and so on – are therefore of the highest quality, ensuring the durability and safety of the aircraft throughout its working life.

For all these reasons, the main costs of manufacturing a balloon are:

• Engineering: studying and selecting the best construction materials, as well as the design and production process.
• Materials: new materials appear every day, with endless prices and characteristics. Engineers choose the raw materials that ensure compliance with regulations and the durability of the balloon.
• Labour: because manufacturing is manual, the cost of skilled staff and the time they need has a considerable impact on the final price.
  • Two facts to bear in mind about the cost of a balloon:
    • Time needed to cut the ‘squares’ of fabric that are later sewn together to make the envelope: one week
    • Time it takes a team to build a wicker basket: around a month.

Price range

All in all, a hot air balloon costs from around €30,000 for the smallest sizes and can exceed €150,000 for the largest.

Here is an excellent video in which Business Insider, together with Spanish manufacturer Ultramagic, analyse very well why hot air balloons cost what they do (in Spanish).

Business Insider is the leading financial digital media outlet, with an audience of more than 200 million users.

Ultramagic, for its part, is one of the three largest hot air balloon manufacturers in the world, based in Catalonia with more than 40 years of experience in the sector.

As a reminder, in this post we have covered the question ‘how much does a hot air balloon cost’. If you are looking for the price of a hot air balloon flight, this page lists every option with its price.

This other link also gives you all the information on how to prepare for your hot air balloon flight, with recommendations and tips.

EoloFLY Hot Air Balloon Flights is a registered brand of Eolo Marketing S.L. (tax ID B82842394), and is licensed by AESA (the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency) to operate commercial passenger hot air balloon flights.