Aerophile

For the French aviation magazine, see L'Aérophile.
Aerophile SAS
Company type
Public limited company
IndustryDevelopment and operation of tethered helium balloons
Founded1993
FoundersJérôme Giacomoni Matthieu Gobbi
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Jérôme Giacomoni, Matthieu Gobbi
ProductsTethered helium balloons
Websitehttp://www.aerophile.com/
Ballon Generali taking off

Aerophile SAS is a French company specialized in building, selling and operating tethered helium balloons.[1] Founded in 1993, it operates the tethered gas balloons as tourist attractions around the world.

These balloons filled with helium and tethered to the ground by a cable can carry up to 30 passengers at an altitude of 150 meters.

The company has sold more than 120 balloons in 40 countries.

Aerophile is also the inventor of l'Aerobar [fr], an aerial bar.

History

Aerophile was founded in 1993 by two 25-year-old French engineers from the École Polytechnique, Mathieu Gobbi and Jerome Giacomoni. In 1994, they installed their first large tethered balloon in Chantilly, France and in 1998, Aerophile celebrated its first flight to an altitude of 300 metres (980 ft). In 1999, the company launched the large Paris Balloon and improved it in 2008 by adding a lighting system.

In 2000, the company created a mobile tethered balloon approved to carry two people to a height of 90 metres (300 ft): the Aero2.

In 2002 they operated the first modern tethered gas ballon on a water-based platform at Neuchâtel.

In 2005 the company installed a large PanoraMagique balloon, operated by a subsidiary Aerotourism, at Disneyland Paris, it was the first 8-point Aero30NG balloon.

In 2007, they set up and opened the first Aerophare in Evry 2 [fr] (France), an attraction with an air-filled captive balloon within a 54 metres (177 ft) tower. Aerophare is a novel adaptation of a tethered balloon operating in an enclosed tower.

In 2008, the Ballon Generali, in partnership with Airparif, shows in real time the quality of air in Paris by changing color depending on the pollution level.

In 2009, a ballon is set at Walt Disney World by Aerophile[2].

In 2013, the Aerobar [fr], an aerial bar is set at the Futuroscope[3][4]. The same year, the Ballon Generali becomes an air lab measuring the air quality of Paris with scientific instruments mounted in the context of a cooperation with the French National Centre for Scientific Research. In USA, Aerophile takes the control back on the balloon at the San Diego Zoo.

In 2014, Aerophile opened an amusement parc based on the creation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the Parc du Petit Prince[5]. The Little Prince Park is located in Ungersheim in the Alsace region. The park gets its name from the French novel The Little Prince. A total of 31 attractions are based loosely on the theme of flight.[6]

In 2018, the company starts a R&D project for a system of external air purification inspired by the scientific work lead at the Ballon Generali. The same year, the balloon set near the Angkor temples in Cambodia flies again.

In 2021, the air purifier Para-PM, made to trap particulate matter, is launched[7][8].

In 2022, the first Aerobar in the USA sets place in Las Vegas[9], followed by a second in Biloxi, Mississippi, after the launch in 2021 of an Aerobar on Sentosa Island in Singapore.[10]

In 2023, the Para-PM gets tested in a playground of a school 9th arrondissement of Paris[11][12], before joining the subways platforms in Lyon[13][14] and Lille[15]. The SOLIDEO [fr] made a request for proposal which lead the company to design and build five giant air purifiers shaped as flying saucers which have been installed between the Olympic Village and the A86 autoroute[16][17][18][19][20][21].

In 2023, the Company celebrated its 30th anniversary.[22]

During the year 2024, Aerophile builds and manage the Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron installed in the Tuileries Garden[23][24][25].

The Parc du Petit Prince is sold to the polish group Ptak in february 2025[26].

The company currently runs seven Aero30NG balloons: Paris Balloon, one at Disneyland Paris, one in Walt Disney World Resort, one in the Orange County Great Park, one in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, one in the Angkor temples in Cambodia and the one that lifted the 2024 Summer Olympics flame[27].

Subsidiaries

The Aerogroupe company has several subsidiaries :

Balloons

The Aerophare, Evry2, France.

The Aero30NG is a tethered balloon that is 22.5 meters (74 ft) in diameter. It can take up to 30 people at a time in its nacelle, rising up to 300 meters (980 ft). Its winch system ensures a climb speed of 0.8 metres per second (2.6 ft/s), and its patented platform optimizes landings. This balloon has been installed over five continents in the following countries:

This model has also been adapted to allow parachute jumps as part of military training in Yemen.[28]

The Aerophare is a balloon operating within a 54 metres (177 ft) tower structure. The structure allows it to operate worse weather than a conventional tethered balloon.[29]

The Aerobar is an aerial bar. This new concept allows 15 individuals to rise up to 120 feet (37 m) in the sky while enjoying their favorite drink. Visitors experience triple emotions: the chills of seeing the ground away from their feet; great views while discovering the scenery and the canopy of heaven meeting the earth in a full 360° circle; and the conviviality with the other passengers that share a drink aboard this aerial bar.[30]

The first Aerobar was installed in 2013 at Futuroscope, one of the best theme park in France.[31]

References

  1. ^ Rivenburg, Roy; Barboza, Tony (July 13, 2007). "O.C.'s Great Park Prepares For Takeoff". Los Angeles Times. p. B6.
  2. ^ "Vol à bord du ballon captif Aérophile au Disney Springs d'Orlando". Coasterrider (in French). 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  3. ^ "Futuroscope paie la tournée en l'air Les autres nouveautés". CharenteLibre.fr (in French). 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  4. ^ "Aérophile construit un bar volant au Futuroscope". Les Echos (in French). 2013-01-16. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  5. ^ Visseyrias, Mathilde (2015-03-17). "Le Parc du Petit Prince attend 150.000 visiteurs en 2015". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  6. ^ "Little Prince Park, Like Book, Delights In Small". Rapid City Journal. Associated Press. July 20, 2014. p. C3.
  7. ^ AEROPHILE (2021-10-18). Le Para-PM est sur BFM Paris !. Retrieved 2025-12-05 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Aérophile lève 11 millions pour révolutionner la dépollution de l'air extérieur". Les Echos (in French). 2023-02-01. Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  9. ^ "USA: "Liftoff" Las Vegas – First Aerobar Ever Opened in the USA – EuroAmusement Professional". www.eap-magazin.de. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  10. ^ "Singapore: SkyHelix – Sentosa Island Offers New Open-Air Bar Flight Experience – EuroAmusement Professional". www.eap-magazin.de. 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  11. ^ AEROPHILE (2023-12-18). Para-PM école Victoire JT M6 16/12/23. Retrieved 2025-12-05 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ AEROPHILE (2023-09-01). Expérimentation Para-PM dans une école du 9ème à Paris – Reportage F3 IDF 31 08 23. Retrieved 2025-12-05 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ rédaction, La (2024-09-11). "Métro B : que sont ces gros boîtiers sur les quais ?". Tribune de Lyon (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  14. ^ "Qualité de l'air dans le métro : un plan d'actions ambitieux qui produit ses e". sytral-mobilites.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  15. ^ "Lille. Un nouveau système de filtration de l'air testé dans le métro". actu.fr (in French). 2025-04-08. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  16. ^ "JO de Paris 2024 : à quoi servent ces soucoupes volantes installées dans le village des athlètes". actu.fr (in French). 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  17. ^ "Comment Aerophile a inventé la machine qui dépollue l'air des écoles et des métros". Challenges (in French). 2023-02-03. Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  18. ^ à 11h19, Le 1 mars 2024 (2024-03-01). "Au village olympique, un air de meilleure qualité pour tous". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ SOLIDEO – Olympic Delivery Authority – 2024 Games (2024-01-29). Des aérophiltres pour assainir l'air sur le Village des Athlètes. Retrieved 2025-12-05 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "J0 2024 : la start-up qui va dépolluer le village des athlètes valide ses tests grandeur nature – Capital.fr". www.capital.fr (in French). 2024-06-20. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  21. ^ Rustici, Camille (2024-02-20). "Paris 2024 Olympics: Aérophile's Giant Air Purifiers Can Suck Pollution". DirectIndustry e-Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  22. ^ "France: Aerophile celebrates 30th anniversary". EuroAmusment Professional. 2023-02-02.
  23. ^ Matthieu Gobbi (Aerophile) : Aerophile derrière le ballon des Tuileries – 30/07 (in French). 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2025-12-07 – via www.bfmtv.com.
  24. ^ "Vasque olympique : l'autre star des jeux | TF1 INFO". www.tf1info.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  25. ^ "Aérophile, l'entreprise qui a transporté la vasque olympique, à la conquête de l'innovation verte – Forbes France" (in French). 2024-09-20. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  26. ^ "Ungersheim. Le Parc du Petit Prince vendu au groupe polonais Ptak". www.lalsace.fr (in French). 2025-03-03. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  27. ^ "Operations". Aerophile. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  28. ^ "Balloons offer cheaper, greener parachute jumps". Reuters. 2009-06-17.
  29. ^ Malécot, Dominique (2007-10-29). "Les ballons captifs d'Aerophile poursuivent leur ascension". Les Échos.
  30. ^ "Skyline experience 'LIFTOFF' opens at AREA15 in Las Vegas". News3lv. 2022-02-03.
  31. ^ Coates, Charlotte (2024-09-04). "Futuroscope : the past, present and future of a pioneering park". Blooloop.

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