Are hot air balloon flights in Cappadocia often cancelled due to weather, and how do I check flight status?

Flight status for the following day is published daily after 11:00, and clearance can differ by launch area. For example, on September 17 balloons flew from Göreme, Çat and Soğanlı, while Ihlara was under a no-flight restriction.

On July 30, all flights for the special-shape balloon festival were cancelled by the civil aviation authority due to bad weather; morning flights from Göreme were expected to resume the next day, with an evening 'Night Glow' balloon light show at Paşabağ.

On July 25, flights from Göreme were cancelled, but flights from Soğanlı and over Ihlara Canyon were still permitted — if the main launch site is grounded, ask about alternative locations.

Despite frequent weather cancellations, Cappadocia's balloons carried around 257,000 passengers in the first half of 2026, showing that flights generally continue overall, just with intermittent disruptions.

In a typical year, Cappadocia sees around one million passenger balloon flights, so even a season with frequent cancellations doesn't drastically affect yearly totals — flight chances tend to improve if the second half of the year has more stable weather.