The Paris Balloon is a tethered helium balloon used as a tourist attraction in the heart of Paris, the French capital. Installed since 1999 in the André Citroën park, it was made and developed by Aerophile SA. The balloon has already introduced more than half a million visitors to the pleasures of ballooning.
Renamed "Air de Paris balloon" in 2008, it became an indicator of air quality by providing real-time reports on atmospheric pollution thanks to its lighting system.
At 150 metres high, permanently inflated with 6000 cubic meters of helium, the balloon is attached to the ground by a cable controlled by a hydroelectric winch.
The "Air de Paris balloon" on ground is 32 metres (105 feet) tall, comparable to a 12-story building. The envelope is 22 metres (72 feet) in diameter.
In partnership with AIRPARIF (an organisation that monitors air quality in France), this news balloon will change colour according to the ambient air quality in Paris (on a scale of green/good, orange/medium to red/poor). A separate indicator system using the same colour scale will inform the public of traffic pollution near the main traffic arteries.