Alf Bandstand

Alf Bandstand is an eccentric billionaire and anthropomorphic lion who attempted to make the world's first Around-the-Zones hot air balloon flight. However, his plans were thwarted by his woodpecker co-pilot, who inadvertantly popped the balloon over the Greenfield Zone. Fortunately, he was rescued by Tails.

Trivia
Alf Bandstand appears to be based on various figures, such as industrialist Richard Branson, who made several (failed) attempts to fly around the world in a hot air balloon between 1995 and 1998 (the title of his first appearance in Sonic the Comic).

His appearance as a lion may also be a reference to Willy Fog, the main character of Around the World with Willy Fog, a cartoon adaptation of Around the World in Eighty Days, in which part of the titular journey famously takes place in hot air balloon.