Balloon carnival still flying high

Muscat: The balloon carnival in Salalah responded to rumours that there are technical malfunctions preventing flight after an image of a grounded balloon was spread on social media yesterday.

Mohammed Al Kindi, one of the event organisers, told Times of Oman, "The carnival is going on and we did not have any technical issues yesterday.

"Yesterday, The balloons did not go up at noon because of the weather conditions such as wind, but they went up in the afternoon, around 4, and continued to do so until nightfall. People enjoyed the experience and shared images and video.

"We urge people to come by the ballon carnival and to see the event for themselves," he added.

Like in any other professional balloon event, weather specialists give directives about when the balloons should fly and when they should not, according to him.

"We have a committee that meets every morning and periodically through the day, including authorities and specialists, and this committee decides if the weather conditions at that time are safe for flight or not.

"We give out announcements rergarding the flight timings in the carnival itself," he added. "So visitors will know when the balloons can fly."