Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Facts Index 2026
Sourced facts on hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Türkiye: who regulates it, flight rules, weather limits, take-off areas, fleet and passenger statistics. Every fact links to an official source with a literal quote.
Edition 2026-10 · last checked 2026-10-09 · 15 facts · licence CC BY 4.0
| # | Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial passenger balloon operations in Türkiye require an operating licence issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM, Sivil Havacılık Genel Müdürlüğü), under the Commercial Balloon Operators Instruction (SHT-BALON RUHSAT). | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09balon ile icra edilen ticari yolcu operasyonu yapacak işletmelerin Genel Müdürlük tarafından ruhsatlandırılması |
| 2 | Paid passenger balloon flights may only take place in areas that SHGM has published as balloon flight areas in aviation publications (Türkiye AIP, AIC, NOTAM). | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09Genel Müdürlük tarafından havacılık yayınlarında (Türkiye AIP’si, AIC, NOTAM vb.) balon uçuş sahası olarak yayımlanmış bölgelerde gerçekleştirilebilir. |
| 3 | In the Cappadocia flight area, take-off clearance is not given to balloon operators when a red or yellow weather flag is declared for the sector. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09Kırmızı veya sarı bayrak ilan edilmesi durumunda balon işletmelerine kalkış uygunluğu verilmez. |
| 4 | The Cappadocia slot instruction defines the morning flight period (first period) as running from 30 minutes before sunrise until 11:00 local time. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09Gün doğumundan 30 dakika öncesiyle yerel 11.00 saatleri arasını |
| 5 | SHGM circular UOD-2014/5 (27 June 2019) allowed at most 105 balloons to fly at the same time in the first daily period (30 minutes before sunrise to 11:00 local time) in the Cappadocia region. This is the figure in that circular; later slot rules may differ. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09ilk periyodu gün doğumundan 30 dakika öncesi ile yerel 11.00 saatleri arasında ve aynı anda en fazla 105 balonun uçuşuna izin verilecektir |
| 6 | For hot air balloons, no flight is made if the surface wind at the take-off place and time is above 10 knots on passenger flights (8 knots for solo student flights). 10 knots is about 18.5 km/h. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09Sıcak hava balonları için, yer rüzgârı, kalkış anında ve yerinde öğrencilerin yalnız uçuşlarında 8 knot, yolculu uçuşlarda 10 knot üzerinde ise balonla uçuş yapılmaz. |
| 7 | Except for landing and emergencies, a balloon may not fly below 1,000 ft above ground level over inhabited areas. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09İniş ve acil durumlar dışında, meskûn mahallerin üzerinde 1.000 fit AGL yükseklik altında. |
| 8 | SHGM circular UOD-2014/5 (2019) caps passengers per Cappadocia balloon by envelope size, within the manufacturer's limits: 24 passengers at 450,000 cu ft, 28 at 500,000 and 530,000 cu ft, 32 at 600,000 cu ft. This is the figure in that circular; later rules may differ. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09450 bin cuft'lik balonlarda maksimum 24, 500 bin cuft'lik balonlarda maksimum 28, 530 bin cuft'lik balonlarda maksimum 28 ve 600 bin cuft'lik balonlarda maksimum 32 yolcu taşınabilecektir |
| 9 | At the end of 2025, SHGM statistics show 71 licensed balloon operators and 517 balloons in Türkiye (national figure, covering Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Soğanlı, Çat, Ihlara and Frig valley). | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-0971 balon işletmesinde toplam 517 adet balon bulunmaktadır |
| 10 | In 2025, balloon flights in Türkiye (all flight areas) totalled 41,536 flights carrying 940,818 passengers, according to SHGM statistics. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09toplam 41.536 balon uçuşu gerçekleşmiş ve 940.818 yolcuya |
| 11 | In 2024, 769,814 domestic and foreign passengers flew in hot air balloons over Cappadocia, an all-time record at the time, according to the Nevşehir Governorship. | nevsehir.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09UNESCO Dünya Mirası Listesi'ndeki Kapadokya'da tarihi, kültürel ve doğal güzellikleri geçen yıl 769 bin 814 yerli ve yabancı ziyaretçi gökyüzünden izledi. |
| 12 | The Nevşehir Governorship reported 27,945 balloon flights in the Cappadocia region in 2023 and 31,851 in 2024. | nevsehir.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-092023'te bölgede 27 bin 945 balon uçuşu gerçekleşirken bu sayının 2024'te 31 bin 851'e ulaştığını kaydetti |
| 13 | Balloons flew on 218 days in 2023 and 236 days in 2024 in Cappadocia, according to the Governor of Nevşehir. Flight days depend on weather. | nevsehir.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-092023 yılında 218 gün uçuş olmuş ve yaklaşık 622 bin kişi uçuş yapmıştı. 2024'te ise 236 gün uçuş yapıldı |
| 14 | Cappadocia balloon take-offs are concentrated in a 4 km-diameter circle centred at 38°39'13"N 34°50'20"E (the Göreme area). Balloons flying a second (later) flight must launch from outside this circle. | web.shgm.gov.trQuote · read 2026-10-09İkincil uçuş yapacak balonlar, uçuşların yoğun olarak yapıldığı, 38°39'13"K, 34°50'20"D merkezli, 4 km çaplı dairenin dışından kalkmak zorundadır. |
| 15 | Trip and Tick lists its Standard Balloon Flight from €100 per person (starting price, not a fixed price; the current price depends on date and availability). | tripandtick.comQuote · read 2026-10-09catalog |
Cite this dataset
Source: Trip and Tick – Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Facts Index 2026, tripandtick.com/en/cappadocia-balloon-facts-index
Licence: CC BY 4.0 · Machine-readable edition: /data/cappadocia-balloon-facts-index.json
Rules and statistics are quoted from the cited official documents on the date shown and can change; the regulator's current text always prevails. The price row is Trip and Tick's own starting price.