DDA to resume hot air balloon rides from November 14

The operator received around 20 visitors on the weekend days when the rides were conducted between November and March

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will resume hot air balloon rides at Baansera from November 14, with the operator planning to offer discounts to schools, corporate groups and individual visitors in a bid to boost footfall after a lukewarm response during the first phase of operations, officials said on Wednesday.

The tethered balloon rides offer visitors aerial views of the Yamuna floodplains, green spaces and the city’s skyline. (Image sourced from Getty)

The rides, launched on November 29 last year, were suspended in March with the onset of summer. The winter relaunch will focus on attracting organised groups, while families and individual visitors will also be offered a 20% discount on tickets, officials from Air Safari, the company operating the rides, said.

Tickets were earlier priced at ₹3,000 per person, excluding goods and services tax (GST).

“We observed last time that instead of pre-booking, people preferred booking on the spot. We are hoping for a similar response this time. We will resume the rides at Baansera, as the rides there received a better response,” a representative of Air Safari said.

The operator received around 20 visitors on the weekend days when the rides were conducted between November and March, the representative said. On some weekends, the rides could not be operated because of cultural programmes at Baansera.

According to DDA officials, the company, which has been leased the space for the activity, is responsible for promoting and operating the project.

The DDA is hoping that discounted fares and outreach to schools and corporate establishments will help expand the attraction’s customer base. The move comes after the initial novelty of the rides failed to translate into sustained demand.

In December last year, the service had been restricted to weekends because of poor weekday footfall, with only four or five people turning up on some weekdays. Plans to expand the service to additional locations were also put on hold amid the limited response.

The tethered balloon rides offer visitors aerial views of the Yamuna floodplains, green spaces and the city’s skyline. Secured to the ground with heavy-duty ropes, the balloons take passengers to a height of around 100 to 150 feet. Each ride lasts approximately 10 minutes.

Depending on the configuration, each basket could accommodate up to ten passengers, although most rides typically carried three to five people.

The initiative was part of the DDA’s efforts to develop recreational and eco-tourism facilities along the Yamuna floodplains. The rides were initially planned at four locations — Asita East Park, Baansera Park, the Yamuna Sports Complex in Surajmal Vihar and the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex.

With the relaunch, the operator will seek to build demand through group bookings and discounted tickets, while the response at Baansera will offer an indication of whether the attraction can draw a more consistent stream of visitors during the winter seasonal, officials said.