SHARJAH, eleventh November, 2026 (WAM) — The UAE Hot Air Balloon Team has entered into a global partnership with the Saga Balloon Museum in Japan to determine the primary complete sizzling air balloon museum within the Middle East. To be primarily based within the UAE, the power might be named the “UAE Balloon Museum 7”, reinforcing the UAE’s management within the tourism, tradition, and sports activities sectors.
The settlement was signed throughout an official go to by a delegation from the UAE Hot Air Balloon Team to the Saga Balloon Museum in Japan, coinciding with the workforce’s participation within the thirty ninth Pacific Cup and the Saga International Balloon Fiesta in Saga. During the go to, the delegation explored the newest international applied sciences and methods used within the administration and growth of aviation and balloon-related museums, whereas additionally exchanging experience with their Japanese counterparts on this specialised discipline.
Through this collaboration, the “UAE Balloon Museum 7” will be a part of an elite international community, turning into the seventh specialised museum of its form worldwide, alongside two museums within the United States and establishments within the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Japan. Consequently, the UAE will grow to be the primary and solely nation within the Middle East to host such a novel worldwide landmark, which might be operated and managed by Emirati professionals.
Captain Abdulaziz Nasser Al Mansoori, Head of the UAE Hot Air Balloon Team, expressed his immense delight on this vital nationwide achievement, stating, “We are extremely proud that the United Arab Emirates has become the first nation in the Middle East to possess a comprehensive, integrated system in the world of hot air ballooning. The establishment of the ‘UAE Balloon Museum 7’, in collaboration with prestigious international institutions such as the Saga Balloon Museum, represents a qualitative leap and a knowledge bridge connecting our region to the horizons of aviation, both in its historical and modern aspects.”
Al Mansoori added, “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. This aligns with the vision of our wise leadership to embrace innovative projects that consistently position the UAE at the forefront globally.”
The new museum will function a global platform to showcase the historical past of sizzling air balloons, in addition to the applied sciences used of their manufacturing and operation. It may also doc the journey of the UAE Hot Air Balloon Team and its worldwide excursions, which have carried the UAE’s message of peace and tolerance for the reason that workforce’s inception to honour the legacy of the nation’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, by a balloon bearing the slogan, “The world will never forget you, Zayed.”
Kiyoshi Mori, Deputy Director of the Saga Balloon Museum in Japan, expressed his delight at welcoming the UAE Hot Air Balloon Team. He famous that the workforce left its mark on the museum by turning into the primary to have an Arabic title inscribed on the honour boards in 2006 by its participation within the thirty ninth Pacific Cup and the Saga International Balloon Fiesta in Japan. Mori additionally affirmed the museum’s assist for the institution of the UAE Balloon Museum.