Colting Balloons, formed by Håkan Colting and Per Lindstrand from Sweden, operated in Ireland from September 1976, because labor costs in Ireland were a fraction of those in Sweden. Colting provided the financial backing and handled the marketing and Lindstrand took care of the engineering side of the business. Colting balloons were certificated by the Department of Aviation in Dublin and were the first Irish-built aircraft to be granted an Irish certificate of airworthiness.
In 1978 the company moved to Oswestry, England, to be closer to major markets in the UK and Europe. When Håkan Colting moved to Canada in 1978, Per Lindstrand continued under the name Colt Balloons.
After acquiring UK-based Thunder Balloons (started in the early 1970s) it became Thunder & Colt Balloons in 1980, which was acquired in 1995 by Cameron Balloons.
Colt 90A
Colt 90A, registration PH-ISU, built 1986, serial number 932 Nijmegen, Netherlands, 27 February 2021
