Hot air balloon flights resumed on Sunday morning, with Luxor Governor Ezzat Saad being one of the first passengers to go on a flight.
Hot air balloons were grounded for two months following the deaths of 19 passengers, mostly tourists, in a balloon crash in February.
Before getting on the balloon, the governor expressed happiness that the flights were resuming and emphasized that Luxor is the only Egyptian governorate with such a service for tourists.
Saad said he trusts workers in the field and the Egyptian aviation sector, which supervises those flights, adding that necessary procedures were adopted to ensure the safety of those trips.
Passengers on the first six flights included British, Australian, Arab and Egyptian passengers, who said they were not afraid to go on a flight.
Workers at the Egyptian Airports Company had staged protests and refused to supervise hot air balloon flights, which were originally scheduled to resume on Wednesday after the prosecution ordered the detention of a senior official in charge of ballooning activities.
Mohamed Ezz, who piloted the first hot air balloon to land after the suspension period, said hot air balloon tourism will make a comeback in Luxor, adding that Egyptian hot air balloon pilots are among the most competent in the world.
Edited translation from DPA
