Operations British company began offering hot-air balloon rides to tourists in Luxor in the early 1988. While the first Egyptian ballooning company was established in 1993 The balloon rides are an important part of Egypt's tourism industry. Following a 2009 crash, balloon flights at Luxor were suspended for six months while pilots were given additional training and safety measures were reviewed and improved. New regulations limited the number of balloons that could be aloft simultaneously and restricted take-offs to a new airfield for the sole use of hot-air balloons.
Accidents and incidents The overall safety record of hot air ballooning in Egypt is poor. The most serious accident was the
2013 Luxor hot air balloon crash, in which 19 people were killed when a leaking fuel line started a fire. After 22 Chinese tourists were injured in a 2016 balloon crash, the Egyptian civil aviation authority suspended flights for three days while safety procedures were reviewed. Twelve tourists were injured and one man from South Africa was killed in Luxor in 2018 when high winds caused a balloon's operator to lose control. Flights were suspended until the unusually high winds subsided. ==References==