UAE to open Middle East’s first hot air balloon museum

Show caption: The UAE balloon museum will be the seventh of its kind world…

Museum will trace ballooning's history and show how aircraft are made and flown

The UAE is set to open what organisers say will be the Middle East's first hot air balloon museum, under an agreement with Japan's Saga Balloon Museum.

UAE Balloon Museum 7 will be the seventh of its kind worldwide, said the UAE Hot Air Balloon Team, but did not give a location or opening date.

The museum will trace the history of hot air ballooning and show how the aircraft are made and flown. It will also document the UAE team's overseas tours, including those with a balloon bearing the slogan “The world will never forget you, Zayed” in tribute to UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Capt Abdulaziz Al Mansoori, head of the UAE team, said the museum would also provide education and training.

“This project is not merely a unique tourism and cultural experience; it also serves as a comprehensive and sustainable educational and training hub, facilitating the transfer of global expertise to our national talent,” he said.

“This aligns with the vision of our wise leadership to embrace innovative projects that consistently position the UAE at the forefront globally.”

The agreement was signed during a visit by the team to Saga, where the delegation met staff to discuss how the Japanese museum operates.

Its deputy director, Kiyoshi Mori, said the museum would support the UAE project. The UAE team were the first to have an Arabic name added to the Saga museum's honour boards in 2006, he added.

Several operators offer hot air balloon rides in the UAE, with most flights taking off from the Dubai desert or Ras Al Khaimah.

In Dubai, Sindbad Gulf Balloons, Maha Balloon Adventures, Shepherd Balloon Dubai and Hero Balloon Flights offer desert trips. In Ras Al Khaimah, ActionFlight runs sunrise flights with views of the Hajar Mountains.

For a shorter ride, The Dubai Balloon at Atlantis, The Palm offers 10-minute tethered ascents overlooking Palm Jumeirah.

Updated:

November 11, 2026, 11:41 AM