Characters in Flight closed due to accident in Hong Kong About This Page:

[CinderAbby]

I know it sounds strange - an accident in Hong Kong closes down a balloon ride in Disney but according to this article Characters in Flight news - Characters in Flight closed pending investigation into an accident with a similar balloon in Hong Kong the same company (Aerophile) operates both

It'll be a shame if it never reopens but I won't be surprised either. I don't know how often it was closed due to weather (I would think in summer quite a bit) but I know the day we were able to do it, we were the only "riders". There was no line whatsoever and even when we got off, there was only a few people waiting to board.

[Dave Marx]

I can understand a temporary grounding. It's a pretty common practice if there's any suspicion a problem is something other than isolated. And, they don't want something like this to be seen in public while it's closed - folks might be reminded of the crash. So, take it down, pack it away, and wait.

Anything else at this point is guesswork. They can't promise that it'll return, because they don't have results on the investigation.

[chezp]

It makes sense to close it after an accident. I hope they're able to re-open it, as I loved the views from up there. I assume that the balloon ride at Disneyland Paris (and I'm having a mental blank on its name ) is also closed right now as well...