Why not?
At least that's what we, Camilla and Kjell, thought when we sat on the balcony of our hotel in Bali in January 2018. Why not start our own balloon company, so we can do it our way? Take the best from all corners of the world and make it into a unique experience. Here you have it, so now we'd like to ask you the same thing... why not?
Camilla Johansson
CEO of Upplands Ballongflyg, propeller plane pilot and under training to become a hot air balloon pilot
Applied for a job straight after high school in 2008 as a hot air balloon hostess at the balloon company Upp & Ner in Stockholm. One of Camilla's first flights, she did with Kjell and it would turn out to be a whole bunch of flights that summer.
Over time, more tasks were added and Camilla got other assignments in Upp & Ner's event shop, including being responsible for the shop, organizing events and also carrying out some of these. Of course, this requires equipment that need to be maintained, repaired and delivered to the shop. Kjell was responsible for parts of that.
Kjell Abrahamsson "Ballongkjelle"
Flight manager for Upplands Ballongflyg, hot air balloon pilot and instructor, propeller plane pilot
Started ballooning in the late 80s when he accompanied his father who was then starting to train as a hot air balloon pilot. During his teens, Kjell travelled through Europe in the summers to various ballooning meetings as a volunteer.
At the age of 19, Kjell got his own hot air balloon license and in 2003 Kjell was able to call himself the youngest commercial hor air balloon pilot in Sweden. Today, with an experience of over 14 000 flown passengers and over 1 200 flight hours, Kjell is just as enthusiastic as he was when the adventure began as a little boy.
Jonas Sandlund "The Cousin"
Hot air balloon pilotJonas, who is Kjell's cousin, shares the same passion for hot air balloons. He started ballooning in the early 90s when Jonas' father also started training to become a hot air balloon pilot. The two cousins stuck together through thick and thin, hanging out with their fathers whenever the hot air balloons were about to fly.
As a newly titled 18-year-old, Jonas proudly took his hot air balloon pilot license and began collecting flight hours. In 1999, Jonas became the youngest commercial hot air balloon pilot in Sweden. Only to last a few years before his cousin Kjell snatched the title. 10 years later, Jonas overtook his cousin again and began flying one of the world's largest manufactured balloon, which can carry 32 passengers. With over 1 100 flight hours in the logbook, the race is now in full swing to see which of the cousins will pass 2 000 flight hours first.
Emma Abrahamsson "The daughter"
Undergoing training to become a hot air balloon pilot
Summer job in the office June-August from the 2025 season, helping with e-mail and customer service
Emma where there from the very beginning, could you say. Since she in 2009 was carried around in her mom’s belly amongst the vineyards in Tuscany, Italy where we flew hot air balloon that summer. At the age of 4, Emma flew with her father Kjell in a propeller plane for the first time and at the age of 8, Emma took her first hot air balloon flight. At the age of 14, Emma began her training to become a hot air balloon pilot and is currently Sweden's youngest hot air balloon pilot student. Now at the age of 15, Emma is stepping up and starts working in our office as a junior customer service assistant.
Join Emma on Instagram and follow her progress to become a hot air balloon pilot, pilot_emmaa.