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A Sunday inspection on the plateau
On Sunday, 30 August 2026, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, inspected a new tethered balloon attraction under construction on the Giza plateau, according to Egyptian Streets. He toured the site with Ashraf Muhyi El-Din, General Director of Antiquities in Giza, and Mohamed Kamel, chairman of Tashreef for Tourism Marketing, the Egyptian company delivering the project with France's Aerophile, according to Egyptian Streets.
The balloon is anchored to the ground and moves only vertically. It climbs to a maximum height of 150 metres above the desert floor, and a single ride lasts about 15 minutes, Ahram Online reported. Fathy said the ride would give visitors a new view of the Pyramids, their surrounding landmarks and the wider desert landscape, according to Egyptian Streets.
The launch site sits roughly 2 kilometres from the Pyramids and 2.2 kilometres from the Sphinx, positioned outside the monuments' immediate archaeological boundaries, according to Ahram Online. Aerophile built the facilities using lightweight, prefabricated components installed above ground, with no underground excavation or concrete construction that could disturb the surrounding soil, the company's project manager, Eric Bachelier, said, according to the paper. During the inspection, Fathy was briefed on the balloon's operating mechanisms and on the protocols covering safety, security and environmental sustainability, Ahram Online reported.
A joint venture, and a first for the area
The attraction is a joint venture between Tashereef Tourist Marketing and Aerophile, a French company that specialises in captive balloon rides, Ahram Online reported. Fathy described it as the first attraction of its kind in the immediate vicinity of the Pyramids, according to Egyptian Streets.
Bachelier, who accompanied the minister on the tour, said he was proud the balloon was being built at what he described as "the spectacular location next to the Giza Pyramids," according to Ahram Online.
Fathy framed the project around what it adds to the visitor offer at the plateau, rather than what it changes about the monuments themselves.
The project adds to the recreational activities offered to visitors at one of the world's most important archaeological sites — Sherif Fathy, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
Twelve languages, and antiquities oversight
Riders will hear archaeological commentary delivered through dedicated glasses and headsets, available in 12 languages, according to Ahram Online. The narration content was prepared under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and the ministry said preserving the plateau's archaeological character and visual identity, in line with international standards, remained a top priority.
- 150 metres, the maximum height the balloon reaches above the desert floor
- 15 minutes, the length of a single ride
- 2 kilometres and 2.2 kilometres, the site's distance from the Pyramids and from the Sphinx respectively
- 12, the number of languages available for the onboard audio commentary
Neither Ahram Online nor Egyptian Streets published a passenger capacity for the balloon's cabin, and neither Tashereef nor Aerophile has said how many riders it can carry on a single ascent. Ahram Online reported that the ground-anchored, vertical-only design was built to meet the highest standards of security, safety and sustainability, the same standards cited when describing the protocols reviewed during Fathy's inspection of the site.
Part of a wider plateau plan
The balloon is the latest addition to a series of upgrades under way at Giza, which Ahram Online reported have already included new visitor pathways and hospitality services at the plateau. The changes sit inside a strategic tourism master plan for the Giza-Dahshur corridor, unveiled in June, intended to turn the plateau from a brief photo stop into a multi-day destination, the paper reported. Those earlier upgrades drew attention from Hollywood, with the plateau visited in May by stars including Martin Lawrence and Giancarlo Esposito, according to Ahram Online.
Wider redevelopment of the plateau, under a 2018 cooperation protocol between Orascom Pyramids Entertainment and the Supreme Council of Antiquities, began trial operations on 7 April 2025 through the Fayoum Desert Road entrance. Total investment in that redevelopment has reached EGP 1.5bn, with an additional EGP 500m announced in November 2024, Ahram Online reported. The neighbouring Grand Egyptian Museum opened on 1 November 2025, after an earlier launch planned for July was postponed, adding to international attention on the area.
What happens next
Trial operations for the balloon were expected to begin soon, Ahram Online reported in its report published on Monday, 31 August 2026, though neither outlet named a specific date for paying visitors. Fathy's site visit, alongside Giza's antiquities director and the project's Egyptian and French partners, came as the ministry signalled the attraction was nearing readiness. The inspection itself, rather than a public opening, was the news event that prompted both outlets' coverage the following day.
For now, the balloon's presence on the plateau is limited to the fixed anchoring and support structures already installed above ground. Aerophile's approach, prefabricated components, no digging, and a height capped at 150 metres, reflects the constraints of building any new commercial structure within sight of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, monuments that remain under the direct protection of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Based on the specifications published so far, a completed ride will run to the maximum height of 150 metres and last about 15 minutes, with commentary through the headset in one of 12 languages, before the cabin is lowered back to the launch point roughly 2 kilometres from the Pyramids. Neither company has published a ticket price or an opening date for the general public.