Transatlantic balloon flight from New Brunswick delayed by pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has let the air out of plans for a record-breaking transatlantic balloon flight from New Brunswick to France this summer.

A British couple had planned to fly from Sussex, N.B., to France some time between mid-June and early August, but now say the pandemic has forced them to delay their plans until next year.

READ MORE: Transatlantic balloon flight up in the air amid COVID-19 pandemic

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If successful, Deborah Day would become the first woman in command of a transatlantic balloon crossing, while Mike Scholes would become the first blind crew member on such a trip.

In a statement posted on their website, the couple says bad weather in Europe in January and February delayed their plans for a test flight in Germany, and by the time the weather had improved, the pandemic had taken hold.

The couple from Sussex, U.K., have been planning the flight for six years.

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They say they now intend to launch from New Brunswick sometime between Mid-June and early August 2021.