Allie Dunnington: Azerbaijan is an amazing destination to develop balloon tourism
Baku, April 22, AZERTAC
“I’m German-born, but I relocated to the UK, living in Bristol, since I bumped into my ballooning husband as a tour guide in 2002 in Myanmar. And that kind of changed my life. I had been, as I say, a tour guide and a nurse.
I had never dreamt of aviation or indeed this weird new thing, ballooning, as it was in my life then. So through my husband, who had already traveled to many countries by balloon, and us being together for nearly 20 years—sadly he passed away—I also became very passionate about exploring the world by hot air balloon. So I’m a commercial hot air balloon pilot. That is my living. And I have the passion of showing this beautiful world to others by flying a hot air balloon,” said Allie Dunnington, world-famous hot air balloon pilot, chasing to break the world record for the most countries flown in a hot air balloon, told AZERTAC.
According to her, conducting her 125th flight in Azerbaijan’s Oghuz district was not a last-minute decision but a yearlong process.
“The world obviously gets more and more difficult. I’ve flown to 124 countries now. I have done the whole of Europe. I have flown in every single country from the top of America to the bottom of America. So that kind of continent is ticked off,” she said.
“There’s still a lot to do in Africa. Last year, I googled on the internet ‘Azerbaijan ballooning’. And, oh my goodness, there was the Sky Park Balloon Park. And I met my wonderful friend Fuad Hasanzada there. So we started talking: how could I come to Azerbaijan? How could we operate this balloon? So it took a long time, and it took a lot of hard work to get all the permissions and everything set up. So it has been a year in the making to come and do this amazing historic flight, which is indeed proudly 125,” Dunnington noted.
The female pilot said that she would certainly love to come back to Azerbaijan. “When we did fly, we found a very good location in Gabala, which is sheltered by the mountains with beautiful scenery around. Your country is so diverse. There are sand dunes, deserts, and mountains. I would love to explore Azerbaijan on the next tour with a hot air balloon, and we will tour around the country, and I am sure we will find more beautiful destinations,” she noted.
Highlighting Azerbaijan’s huge potential in balloon tourism, Dunnington said: “I think it has huge potential, Azerbaijan. It has a great climate. Because you’ve got the Caucasus Mountains, the winds are very calm. You could fly here all year round. You could do snow flying in the winter. I think you have the right potential in terms of economy. There are people who can afford to conduct balloon flights. I think you have the infrastructure, the tourism, and the hotels. I believe Azerbaijan is an amazing country to develop balloon tourism.”
“We flew in this beautiful region, on the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, and it’s lovely to see the snow-capped mountains. We cruised at low level over your grass fields, and there are beautiful rivers as well. We did some low-level flying over the river. It was just magic. Really beautiful scenery, I love it. There is so much nature. You have the trees, the fields, the mountains, the lakes, and amazing rolling hills,” Dunnington emphasized.
“I’m sure if you do more flights, you will find some amazing wildlife. We have seen deer and rabbits, and I do believe you have other wildlife, which you can see early in the mornings. Most of these animals are active in the early mornings. This is the time when hot air balloons fly. You go up at sunrise, which is the best time for taking photos. It is pure magic,” she said.
Sharing her upcoming plans with AZERTAC, Dunnington noted: “Africa is still a huge and complicated continent. I’ve done nearly all of Southern Africa, a lot of countries there, and I’ve nearly traveled through all of East Africa. My next big expedition will be to find the right vehicle to put a small balloon in, and I want to travel from the UK all along the west coast of Africa, literally from the UK down to Angola. I need all of those countries. But in your region, I still need to visit your neighbor across the Caspian Sea.
I would love to make a flight in Turkmenistan. Nobody has ever done that. It is a difficult country to get permissions for, for sure.
Then, sadly, politically, a lot of other complicated countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria—I still need Bhutan and Bangladesh. So deciding where to go is a combination of: is it politically even possible to enter the country? Is it safe enough? Do I have the contacts? Do I need permission? So it’s a complicated story to say what will be my next new country. But believe me, nothing will stop me from completing my bucket list.”
She also noted she is aiming to leapfrog her husband’s record completely, describing her visit to Azerbaijan as an eye-opening experience.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Azerbaijan as a tour guide. I’ve traveled along the Silk Road. I’ve been to Georgia. I’ve been to all the other countries across the Caspian Sea, to China. I had never been to Azerbaijan, and it was just absolutely amazing. I love the people. I love Baku as a city. I love the scenery. I got to know the local people,” Dunnington said.
According to her, it is not just about flying the balloon, but it is all about getting to know new cultures, meeting local people, and sharing the joy of balloon flight with them.
“To share this experience with other cultures, other people around the world, that’s what drives me. Yes, I will not stop at 127. I want to go on as long as I can,” Allie Dunnington added.
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