AEROPHILE Group, founded in Paris in 1993, is the world leader in great tethered helium balloons with 120 balloons installed in 40 countries. It’s also the creator of the Aerobar, a “flying bar” present in various sites such as Futuroscope or Parc Asterix in France, and also in Dubaï, Singapore, Las Vegas.
The company not only designs, manufactures and sells these two unique concepts of entertainment, but also operates 7 of them directly, in great locations like Walt Disney World, San Diego Zoo Safari Park & Irvine in the US; Downtown Paris, Disneyland Paris & Parc du Petit Prince in France and Angkor temples in Cambodia.
Aerophile also creates its own amusement parc, the Little Prince Park, in the Alsace region in France.
Moreover, thanks to 10 years of research on air quality at the Generali Balloon of Paris, Aerophile has also recently developed the Para-PM, a new innovative outdoor air purification system which has been selected for the Athletes Village of the 2024 Olympic Games in France.
Interview with Jerome Giacomoni, President of Aerophile.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Jerome Giacomoni:
- Attractions (for amusement park, turism sites and city centers)
- Air quality
What’s the news about new products/services?
J.G: Our 2 traditional products are great attractions:
- The Great Tethered Balloon:
Every 10 minutes, 30 passengers raise the height of 150m (even up to 300 m) and discover the site with a unique point of view.
We observe a really high rate of satisfaction, from the youngest kids to the oldest! Furthermore, the Great Tethered Balloon is a very unique communication support, ideal for a commercial campaign, visible at days and nights!
- 2.The Aerobar
The Aerobar is a flying bar. We made a ride a bar, to make profit with it.
A 16-passenger spinning gondola takes diners 115 feet up into the air while a bartender named Aerobarman serves snacks, sodas and cocktails. Each chair is equipped with a seat belt that is used to keep riders safe, as there is no floor to the basket – your feet dangle below you as you take in views of the entire environment! Lot of conviviality and lot of fun!
It’s easy to install with a very limited footprint and a 70 km/h wind limitation which is quite high.
Our new product is the Para-PM, an innovative system for particulate matter capture adapted to outdoor or semi-open spaces. It’s a new air purifier, very efficient, modular and energy-efficient. It can be used for schoolyards, metro, squares…
The Para-PM Technology was chosen in the SOLIDEO (Société de Livraison des Ouvrages Olympiques – French Olympic Delivery Authority) tender for the installation of the “Athletes’ Square” in Paris Saint-Denis (France).
To clean up the vast area around Place des Athlètes, Para-PM technology was integrated into giant 4.6-metre-high, 6-metre-diameter AEROPHILTRE shading systems. Installed 150 m from the traffic of the A86, 5 AEROPHILTRE shades diffuse the equivalent of 43 Olympic size swimming pools of clean air per hour, i.e. a volume of more than 108 000 m3 per hour.
What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
J.G: The air purification market is constantly growing. The attractions market suffered greatly during the Covid19 period, but is now returning to normal.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
J.G: The Para-PM is a very innovative product. This is a new type of filter, inspired by the electrostatic phenomena observed on the Ballon de Paris Generali.
Para-PM is particularly effective on the finest particulate Matters, which are the most dangerous to health. It captures up to 95% of them.
Air pollution is now recognized as the greatest environmental threat to human health. According to the WHO, ultrafine particles (UFP = PM0.1) are the most harmful to respiratory and cardiovascular health (viruses including COVID and others).
Para-PM system is versatile and can be used for a wide range of applications.