Downtown Disney balloon may be replaced

Leah Zanolla | Posted: Jul 6, 2012 | Updated: Oct 19, 2014 - 9:25:27 AM

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Characters in Flight balloon at Downtown Disney in Orlando was closed for inspection following an incident overseas. Allegedly, a similar balloon in Hong Kong operated by the same company sprung a leak and fell to the ground, injuring five people. Now it looks like this attraction may be shut down for a longer period of time. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the balloon that had been flying in Orlando may itself never reappear. In an e-mail to the Sentinel, the president of Aerophile, the company that operates both balloon attractions, said, "The balloon of Orlando was scheduled to be replaced in November. Instead of re-inflating it after the inspection - which is a significant cost - we have decided to take it down for now and expedite the replacement work." As of now, there is no scheduled reopening date from Aerophile or Walt Disney World.