A set of hot air balloons has unofficially broken the world record for the number of balloons to have flown across the English Channel.
A fleet of 85 balloons set of from Dover in a bid to reach Calais in France and set a new world record, with the current record standing at 49. The cohort of balloons set of in the early hours of last Friday, landing in Calais within three hours.
According to Guinness World Records, the organisers of the flight did not submit a formal application to the record organisation before taking off. However, the enterprise is liaising with flight organisers to make sure that the achievement will stand and they will also be submitting a retrospective application to the record gurus.
The record attempt was supported by Exclusive Ballooning (a marketing agency) and Datum RPO (a recruitment outsourcing firm). Both companies also sponsored the last attempt, which took place back in 2011.
The hot air balloons started to land on French soil not long after 10:00 am on Friday after successfully navigating their way over the world’s busiest shipping channels, clocking up 26 miles in the process.
So far, a total of 82 of the 85 balloons that set off have been confirmed as having made successful landings in continental Europe, with the rest hoping to be ratified once the event’s organisers verify their landing sites in France.
A spokesperson for Guinness World Records says that it hopes to be able to celebrate the record once all of the necessary evidence has been presented, processed and approved.
Those looking to take their own hot air balloon trips from Bath can do so without having to worry about setting records.
