A colourful collection of 50 craft journeyed over the Dover Strait, one of the world’s busiest waterways, in about four hours.
The last ones made it from Lydden in Kent to Calais at about 11am for a champagne reception.
‘I’m absolutely elated we have done it,’ said organiser Ian Sharpe, 51, of Caterham in Surrey.
‘It’s the culmination of 14 months of hard work that has paid off.’
Fellow balloonist Paul Komuro said: ‘It was an exhilarating experience.’
The trip was the first Guinness World Records attempt for the largest group of hot air balloons to make the Channel crossing. The flight is now being assessed by records experts.
