GCAA licenses every pilot flying commercial balloon in UAE airspace. Пилотs need minimum 500 logged hours, annual medical, specialized desert-flying certification.

Every balloon undergoes 50-hour full inspection cycles plus daily pre-flight checks.

Flight only proceeds if surface winds below 10 knots, upper-air winds below 15 knots, no precipitation within 20 km. Abort rate is about 10-15% during shoulder-season months.