The British built airships.

The British built airships.

Jason Moore13/09/2023 10:43
TW
4

British-built Airlander airships which will start operating passenger services between the mainland and the Balearics in 2026 can land directly on the beach and there is no need to use Palma airport. Hybrid Air Vehicles(HAV) Chief Executive, Tom Grundy, said Airlanders can land anywhere flat, including on water, sand and snow. It could revolutionise air travel in Mallorca with tourists, in theory, landing directly on the beach.

Spanish regional aircraft Air Nostrum has already reserved 20 Airlanders ahead of production starting. It could use the aircraft to fly the four-hour journey between the mainland and the Balearic islands. When pumped full of helium, Airlander's hardened fabric shell is almost as long as a football pitch and the height of six double decker buses, with a cabin slung below, and fitted out with either 100 seats or several luxury bedrooms. HAV's plan is to build a factory to start making Airlanders by 2026 before 18 months of testing. Grundy said he was working to secure more investment as part of the estimated 300 million pound total cost of bringing it into production.


The Airlander 10, which HAV hopes to bring into commercial production in 2026, is attracting attention among aviation, freight and defence companies as they seek to decarbonise air transport.
HAV said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with BAE's FalconWorks unit to explore using the aircraft, which can stay airborne for up to five days, offering potential benefits versus military helicopters.

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