Section 6 - Additional Information
Official Event Website:
To be developed post awarding of Event Rights
Event Prizes Offered and Details:
Goodie bags provided to all teams at registration
Trophies will be given to 1st-3rd place
Trophies will be given to 1st-3rd place
Opening Ceremony:
TBC
Closing Ceremony / Prize Giving:
TBC
Country Admission Conditions:
Subject to changes in legislation, eVisa applications are submitted online and are typically processed within 24 hours. Processing times may vary by nationality, and some applicants may require additional steps with longer lead times. The Saudi Ballooning Federation will provide visa support – including invitation letters and coordination with the relevant authorities.
Preferred Place of Entry & Closest Major Cities:
Jeddah, Riyadh, Doha, or Dubai, direct flights from these locations to AlUla.
Local Language:
Arabic (English spoken by most locals)
Location Description & Characteristics
General Description:
AlUla is an ancient oasis city in northwest Saudi Arabia, set in a palm-filled valley ringed by sculpted sandstone cliffs. Long a crossroads on Arabian trade routes, it layers thousands of years of culture and archaeology into a compact, dramatic landscape.
Its headline site is Hegra (Mada’in Ṣāliḥ) – Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site – famous for more than 100 elaborately carved Nabataean tombs dating to the 1st centuries BCE-CE. The area surrounding Hegra is selected for the competition flight area and offers large landing areas and many target areas.
Beyond Hegra, the older kingdom of Dadan and nearby Jabal Ikmah (“open-air library”) showcase early North Arabian inscriptions and rock art, while AlUla Old Town preserves a maze of mud-brick alleys and houses.
The scenery is breathtaking: iconic formations like Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil) rise from desert plains, and modern landmarks such as Maraya – the Guinness-record mirror-clad concert hall – reflect the cliffs in gleaming facades.
AlUla is the home of ballooning in Saudi Arabia. It all began with the Winter at Tantora Festival in 2018, quickly becoming a top attraction. The region’s stunning rock formations and stable weather made it ideal for ballooning, leading to the launch of the AlUla Hot Air Ballooning Festival in 2020, now part of the AlUla Skies Festival that returns every year.
Its headline site is Hegra (Mada’in Ṣāliḥ) – Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site – famous for more than 100 elaborately carved Nabataean tombs dating to the 1st centuries BCE-CE. The area surrounding Hegra is selected for the competition flight area and offers large landing areas and many target areas.
Beyond Hegra, the older kingdom of Dadan and nearby Jabal Ikmah (“open-air library”) showcase early North Arabian inscriptions and rock art, while AlUla Old Town preserves a maze of mud-brick alleys and houses.
The scenery is breathtaking: iconic formations like Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil) rise from desert plains, and modern landmarks such as Maraya – the Guinness-record mirror-clad concert hall – reflect the cliffs in gleaming facades.
AlUla is the home of ballooning in Saudi Arabia. It all began with the Winter at Tantora Festival in 2018, quickly becoming a top attraction. The region’s stunning rock formations and stable weather made it ideal for ballooning, leading to the launch of the AlUla Hot Air Ballooning Festival in 2020, now part of the AlUla Skies Festival that returns every year.
Geographic Position:
The Competition Map Centre is:
o WGS84 UTM: Zone 37N 393,894 m E, 2,971,986 m N
o Lat/Lon:
o Latitude 26°51’55.81"N
o Longitude 37°55’54.67"E
The competition flight area is an elongated area NNW-SSE with approx. 40km in length and 18km in width. See appendix 3 map of Competition Area.
In January 2025, FAI Secretary General, Markus Haggeney, and CIA President and proposed Event Director, Claude Weber, conducted a preliminary on-site inspection of the Competition Area to assess its suitability for championship operations.
o WGS84 UTM: Zone 37N 393,894 m E, 2,971,986 m N
o Lat/Lon:
o Latitude 26°51’55.81"N
o Longitude 37°55’54.67"E
The competition flight area is an elongated area NNW-SSE with approx. 40km in length and 18km in width. See appendix 3 map of Competition Area.
In January 2025, FAI Secretary General, Markus Haggeney, and CIA President and proposed Event Director, Claude Weber, conducted a preliminary on-site inspection of the Competition Area to assess its suitability for championship operations.
Topography:
Hegra itself sits at around 820m AMSL.
The surrounding desert plains range from approx. 700-800m AMSL with isolated sandstone outcrops rising up to approx. 80m above the local terrain.
Sharaan Nature Reserve sits around 880-960m AMSL.
No water obstacles within the competition area.
The surrounding desert plains range from approx. 700-800m AMSL with isolated sandstone outcrops rising up to approx. 80m above the local terrain.
Sharaan Nature Reserve sits around 880-960m AMSL.
No water obstacles within the competition area.
Landing Areas:
The competition area offers abundant landing options across open desert plains with reliable 4x4 access. Obstacles are generally limited:
o Powerlines are concentrated along paved (tarmac) roads;
o Built-up areas are sparse, consisting mainly of small agricultural holdings;
o Hegra (approx. 5x5km), is protected archaeological zone: overflight permitted; landings prohibited; competition ground target may be set there with some restrictions.
o Sharaan Nature Reserve (first approx. 10 km from the north) is protected but open to overflight and landings; competition ground targets may be set there.
o Powerlines are concentrated along paved (tarmac) roads;
o Built-up areas are sparse, consisting mainly of small agricultural holdings;
o Hegra (approx. 5x5km), is protected archaeological zone: overflight permitted; landings prohibited; competition ground target may be set there with some restrictions.
o Sharaan Nature Reserve (first approx. 10 km from the north) is protected but open to overflight and landings; competition ground targets may be set there.
Main villages around the flying area:
Approximately 5 km south of Hegra lie two small built-up areas (approx. 1x2 km and 1x1 km). The city of AlUla sits just beyond the competition area’s southwest corner, outside the boundary.
Other Description:
Immediately south of the competition area lies an approach corridor to AlUla International Airport (approx. 50 departures per week). Event flights will maintain defined separation from this corridor, with procedures agreed in advance with local ATC and promulgated by NOTAM. Accordingly, no flight will be conducted south of Main Road 70 east-west).
Common Launch Areas:
The CLA is located immediately north of the Sharaan Nature Reserve, and measures approximately 18 km (E-W) by 5 km (N-S). The terrain is flat desert plain throughout with reliable 4x4 access. Its western edge is bounded by Route 375 (north-south), and a paved east-west road runs just south of the area, immediately north of the reserve.
Reference point (WGS84): 27° 1’49.57"N, 37°52’35.50"E (27.030436° N, 37.876528° E)
Reference point (WGS84): 27° 1’49.57"N, 37°52’35.50"E (27.030436° N, 37.876528° E)
Landowner Restrictions:
o Farmland: Overflight permitted; no landings and no ground competition targets.
o Hegra (protected): Overflight and target placement permitted subject to prior approval; landings prohibited.
o Sharaan Nature Reserve: Overflight, target placement and landings permitted; on-ground access limited to essential competition and safety personnel only.
o Hegra (protected): Overflight and target placement permitted subject to prior approval; landings prohibited.
o Sharaan Nature Reserve: Overflight, target placement and landings permitted; on-ground access limited to essential competition and safety personnel only.
Meteorological characteristics
Weather conditions:
In April, near Hegra (AlUla) it is the end of the cool season with daily high typically reach about 30-32 °C and nightly lows about 12-15 °C).
The length of the daylight ranges from about 12 h 26 min to roughly 13 h 05 min.
Winds are generally light–moderate (~9.7 mph / ~4.3 m/s on average), the calmest window is typically around sunrise.
Rain is rare (≈4–5% chance of a wet day across the month), so conditions are predominantly dry and clear.
The length of the daylight ranges from about 12 h 26 min to roughly 13 h 05 min.
Winds are generally light–moderate (~9.7 mph / ~4.3 m/s on average), the calmest window is typically around sunrise.
Rain is rare (≈4–5% chance of a wet day across the month), so conditions are predominantly dry and clear.
Prevailing winds:
Daily averages in April are:
o Prevailing winds from N-ENE predominantly around 4 m/s
o Secondary winds from SW-WNW predominantly around 4 m/s
For detailed wind statistics in the competition area, see Appendix 4 AlUla Wind Statistics 2023-2025.
o Prevailing winds from N-ENE predominantly around 4 m/s
o Secondary winds from SW-WNW predominantly around 4 m/s
For detailed wind statistics in the competition area, see Appendix 4 AlUla Wind Statistics 2023-2025.
Temperatures:
In April:
o Mean daily maximum 32 degrees Celsius
o Mean daily minimum 17 degrees Celsius
o Hot days 37 degrees Celsius
o Cold nights 11 degrees Celsius
o Mean daily maximum 32 degrees Celsius
o Mean daily minimum 17 degrees Celsius
o Hot days 37 degrees Celsius
o Cold nights 11 degrees Celsius
Sunrise:
Approx 06:03:00L
Sunset:
Approx 18:53:00L
Airspace Structure & Limitations
NOTAM Description:
Air operations will be promulgated by NOTAM issued by the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The competition area lies in uncontrolled Class G airspace.
An existing NOTAM authorises commercial balloon operations around Hegra from the surface up to approx. 5,500 ft AGL. For the Championship, the organiser will request an event NOTAM extending coverage to the defined competition area and raising the vertical limit to 10,000 ft AGL.
An existing NOTAM authorises commercial balloon operations around Hegra from the surface up to approx. 5,500 ft AGL. For the Championship, the organiser will request an event NOTAM extending coverage to the defined competition area and raising the vertical limit to 10,000 ft AGL.
Flight Limitations:
See ‘Location Description & Characteristic’ above
Number of PZs expected & Descriptions:
o PZ-1 (Hegra – no landing),
o PZ-2 (Farmland – no landing/no ground targets),
o PZ-3 (Airport buffer south of Road 70 – no flight),
o PZ-4 (any ad-hoc safety/heritage sites).
o PZ-2 (Farmland – no landing/no ground targets),
o PZ-3 (Airport buffer south of Road 70 – no flight),
o PZ-4 (any ad-hoc safety/heritage sites).
Competition Area Altitude Limitations:
10,000 ft AGL
Competition Area Dimensions:
From Common Launch Area:
o 40km SSE
o 9km ENE
o 9km WSW
o 40km SSE
o 9km ENE
o 9km WSW
Competition Map Details
DATUM:
WGS84 UTM
Scale:
1:50.000
Grid Lines:
1 km
Paper Size:
TBC
Electronic Version Available:
Expected on Date:
Expected on Date:
Yes
14/01/2028
14/01/2028
Electronic Version File Format:
JPEG
PNG
Other:
Driving Particularities:
Subject to change in regulations, Saudi rules: Right side of road, 50-60 km/h urban areas, 80-100 km/h rural roads, 120-140 km/h highways. Both women and men can legally drive.
Road Network and Infrastructure:
A well-developed mix of paved roads, graded dirt tracks and open desert plains, all accessible with 4x4 vehicles.
Venue Description, Coordinates & Characteristics
Competition Center:
Hegra Ballooning Operations Centre
Reference point (WGS84): 26°49′04.89″ N, 37°55′15.79″ E (26.818025° N, 37.921053° E).
Reference point (WGS84): 26°49′04.89″ N, 37°55′15.79″ E (26.818025° N, 37.921053° E).
Briefing Facilities:
At Competition Centre
Media centre:
At Competition Centre
Internet connection:
WiFi available
Social activities:
Fiesta activities and Event Village:
Fiesta flying and public activations will be staged at key visitor hotspots:
o Elephant Rock – 26°41′20.75″ N, 37°58′54.07″ E (26.689097° N, 37.981686° E)
o Winter Park – 26°39′49.92″ N, 37°54′14.62″ E (26.663867° N, 37.904061° E)
o Equestrian Centre – 26°40′16.33″ N, 37°59′51.58″ E (26.671203° N, 37.997661° E)
Fiesta flying is separated by location and time, it will not conflict with competition flights.
The public Event Village is planned at the Equestrian Centre, featuring a VIP lounge, general spectator zones, equipment displays, airshows, and local cultural performances. Competitor participation in public activities is optional.
Subject to the competition schedule, guided cultural tours will be arranged for competitors and team members.
Fiesta flying and public activations will be staged at key visitor hotspots:
o Elephant Rock – 26°41′20.75″ N, 37°58′54.07″ E (26.689097° N, 37.981686° E)
o Winter Park – 26°39′49.92″ N, 37°54′14.62″ E (26.663867° N, 37.904061° E)
o Equestrian Centre – 26°40′16.33″ N, 37°59′51.58″ E (26.671203° N, 37.997661° E)
Fiesta flying is separated by location and time, it will not conflict with competition flights.
The public Event Village is planned at the Equestrian Centre, featuring a VIP lounge, general spectator zones, equipment displays, airshows, and local cultural performances. Competitor participation in public activities is optional.
Subject to the competition schedule, guided cultural tours will be arranged for competitors and team members.
Other:
N/A
Competition Staff
Stewards
Name, country, email:
TBC by Christoph Fraisl
Attached CVs:
-
Chief Debriefer
Name, country, email:
TBC by Christoph Fraisl
Attached CVs:
-
Technical Support Officer
Name, country, email:
TBC by Christoph Fraisl
Attached CVs:
-
Travel & accommodation arrangements for officials
Travel Arrangements:
Yes
Travel Arrangements:
Yes
Travel Allowances:
Travel for competition officials and CIA/FAI invitees covered.
Vehicles Provided:
Sponsored vehicles in AlUla
Type of Accommodation:
Hotel or short-term rental unit
Meals Provided:
Full board
Other Information / Remarks:
N/A
Scoring Program
Scoring Program:
WatchMeFly Scoring
Special Arrangements and Assistance for Competitors
Details:
o Balloon rental: Not available. Competing balloons must be shipped to Jeddah, from where the organiser will facilitate the local shipping to AlUla and back to Jeddah post the competition. The organiser will assist each balloon team with international shipping to and from Jeddah.
o Team size is maximum 4 due to limited accommodation, additional crew beyond the registered team cannot be accepted.
o Vehicles: SBF will arrange 4x4 rentals for teams and officials.
o Accommodation: Complimentary for competitors and officials during the official event period.
o Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided at no charge during the official period.
o Gas: Complimentary for competition flights.
o Team size is maximum 4 due to limited accommodation, additional crew beyond the registered team cannot be accepted.
o Vehicles: SBF will arrange 4x4 rentals for teams and officials.
o Accommodation: Complimentary for competitors and officials during the official event period.
o Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided at no charge during the official period.
o Gas: Complimentary for competition flights.
Equipment Limitations:
TBC
Special Safety Requirements:
TBC
Insurance Requirements for Competitors and Details
Insurance Type:
Third party : All competition balloons must carry third party insurance coverage. Coverage amount TBC.
Third party
CSL
Third party