Hyderabad: Amid claims of a hot air balloon making an emergency landing at Ibrahim Bagh lake in Hyderabad due to an alleged malfunction on Saturday, January 17, authorities were quick to refute the news, saying that the landing was as per normal procedure.
In a release, the Chief of Flight Safety of Sky Waltz, the company operating the balloons at the Hot Air Balloon Festival, said that the balloons do not have predetermined landing sites and fly in the direction of prevailing winds.
He said that landings are done in safe, open areas, such as empty fields, and all 18 balloons that were operated on Saturday followed DGCA-compliant procedures.
“At no point was passenger safety compromised…It is requested not to circulate fake news pertaining to this incident.” the release said.
Hot Air Balloon Festival
The Telangana Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, on Friday, inaugurated the three-day Hot Air Balloon festival scheduled to take place from January 16 to 18 as part of Sankranti celebrations.
In addition to long rides of up to 10 kilometres from the Golconda Golf Club, the balloons will also offer rides at the Parade Ground in Secunderabad on Saturday and Sunday evening, January 17 and 18.
Tickets for the festival are priced at Rs 2,000, even as the event is fully booked.
