AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest faces backlash over licensing failure and organizer controversy

The AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong has disappointed attendees after failing to secure a license for public hot air balloon rides, with questions swirling about the organizer’s credibility due to past legal and event controversies.

The Hong Kong International Balloon Festival, launched on Thursday at the Central Harbourfront Event Space, has sparked widespread frustration after organizer Grand Events Asia Limited announced that hot air balloon rides were restricted to licensed professionals due to an unapproved public license.

Ticket holders, expecting tethered rides, were left disappointed, with many having purchased tickets in anticipation of the experience.

Grand Events Asia, registered in Hong Kong since 2017, has no prior event-organizing record, raising doubts about its expertise. 

The company’s technical director, Kwok Yuen-hann, and its operations director, who is also the company secretary and alternate director, faced a HK$1.52 million lawsuit from HSBC in 2024. 

Kwok’s tenure as Tatler Asia’s event director from July 2023 to April 2024 coincided with a controversial football match where Lionel Messi’s absence due to injury and failure to meet officials led to Tatler Asia forfeiting a HK$16 million government sponsorship.

The festival’s website names Aerosim and Axiom, both Hong Kong Science Park-based, as aviation safety partners. Aerosim, a 2017 startup, develops flight training simulators and has government ties but redirected inquiries to the festival’s public relations. 

Axiom, an IT service provider, was unreachable. Grand Events Asia received a temporary entertainment license on opening day, barring public rides, and is negotiating with authorities to resolve this.

By Friday night, the Consumer Council recorded 28 complaints totaling HK$40,118, with one claim reaching HK$4,956. 

The customs are investigating related reports. 

The licensing failure and the organizer’s questionable track record have fueled public skepticism about the festival’s management, leaving attendees seeking answers as the event continues amid ongoing scrutiny.