At least that’s what OceanSky Cruises promises, and apparently they already have the vehicle. Founded in 2018, the Swedish company will use its Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) Airlander 10 airships to transport passengers to the northernmost point on Earth, who will also be able to land on the ice for a six-hour free programme, according to Interesting Engineering. If they succeed, the travel agency is sure to make history, as no one has ever conquered the North Pole in a balloon before.
It’s been a long time since passenger airships disappeared from the skies almost a century ago, and only recently has this convenient and climate-friendly way of travelling begun to be rediscovered. The Airlander 10 is now much safer than the airships of the early 20th century, using helium instead of flammable hydrogen, and modern electronics and redundant systems to ensure that the airship is accident-free. Even if the Airlander’s engines should fail for some reason, it would still sink rather than crash, and because it is made of lightweight materials, it would not sink on landing.
OceanSky Cruises is scheduled to start scheduled flights to the Arctic from 2024 or 2025, once a month from March to October. Passengers will depart from Longyearbyen in Norway’s Svalbard for the 38-hour voyage, which will take them in true luxury to one of the most inaccessible places in the world. Airlander 10 has a total of eight double cabins with showers, where passengers can enjoy the scenery through the large panoramic window or the glass floor in front of the bar. OceanSky Cruises promises that the airship will sometimes cruise at an altitude of just under 30 metres, low enough for passengers to see whales or even polar bears from above. In addition to the passengers, there will be a crew of seven on board, including four pilots, a flight attendant, a mission leader and a chef.
Although the reputation of airships has not been the best since the Hindenburg disaster, in recent years more and more people have realised that this form of transport can have enormous environmental benefits. Although OceanSky Cruises promises to minimise the consumption of airships by exploiting ideal wind currents, it is easy to see that the luxury trip to the Arctic is not the best example to demonstrate this. In other cases, however, a hybrid airship capable of carrying up to 100 passengers could make a significant contribution to reducing the roughly one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted by aviation each year, which accounts for almost 2.5% of global emissions. Hybrid Air Vehicles announced in May this year that from 2025 it will launch scheduled flights between several cities in Europe and the US, including Liverpool to Belfast, Oslo to Stockholm, Seattle to Vancouver and Barcelona to Mallorca. According to the manufacturer, the trips will be just under a tenth of the length of a conventional airliner, including airport check-in, while emissions per capita will be less than a tenth of those of a conventional airliner.
It’s no coincidence that Hybrid Air Vehicles is not the only company to see the potential in these giant “flying whales”, as recently, Atlas LTA of Israel and Sergey Brin’s LTA Research have announced similar projects. Airships are still in use today, but apart from a few sightseeing vehicles, they are more typically used for research or observation purposes.
Recent article
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Japanese startup that makes flying “motorcycles” goes public
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Rolls-Royce’s microreactor is a new dimension in propulsion
Flying Cars News & Articles
The X2 flying car can fly under certain conditions
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Jetoptera is developing an FPS-powered aircraft
Air taxi News & Articles
Development of Airbus’ air taxi could accelerate
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
NASA’s new engine in action
Drones News & Articles
India also sees potential in agricultural drones
Drones News & Articles
Airbus launches drone production
Flying Cars News & Articles
SkyDrive Japanese flying car to enter commercial service in 2026
Additional aircraft
ARC Aerosystems’ newest aircraft the Linx P9
Drones News & Articles
Expect lots of drones in the future
Propulsion-Fuel
NASA funds development of a new type of nuclear engine
Drones News & Articles
The world’s fastest flying four-rotor drone
Drones News & Articles
The drone market is a good long-term investment
Drones News & Articles
In Romania, a drone is already taking samples from hospitals to the robotic laboratory
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
ZeroAvia’s Dornier with hydrogen-electric propulsion system flies for the first time
EVTOL & VTOL
What growth can we expect in the Evtol market in the coming years ?
Drones News & Articles
Flying drone home delivery is also being tested in Budapest
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are air traffic control and air navigation services adapting to eVTOL ?
Flying Cars News & Articles
What safety measures would be introduced in flying cars to prevent accidents ?
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Revolutionising crop production with aircraft
Drones News & Articles
Valkyrie drone placed in the US Air Force National Museum
Drones News & Articles
Black Swan unmanned aircraft can handle transport in Europe
Drones News & Articles
Drone-operated motorway planned in the UK
Air taxi News & Articles
What impact will the development and introduction of air taxis have on the workforce and the labour market ?
Drones News & Articles
Edible wing drone could save people in distress
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Could modernised versions of airships return ?
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Aviation on the verge of a revolution
Drones News & Articles
Chinese drone could stay in the air almost forever
Additional aircraft News & Articles
The world’s first flying motorcycle is about to fly
Drones News & Articles
Walmart’s drones now deliver in seven Member States
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are companies and governments working to develop and regulate electric Evtols and what challenges do they face in bringing these vehicles to market ?
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
What developments have been made in the field of electric motors ?
Air taxi News & Articles
Stellantis joins forces with air taxi developer Archer
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Alef A flying car is on sale – taxis could be on the way in three years
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Israeli flying car on AIR
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
The first supersonic aircraft engine to run on sustainable fuel
Drones News & Articles
Drones could help weather forecasting
EVTOL & VTOL
The Volocopter is also expected to be commercialised in 2024
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Joint electrification between Renault and Airbus
More articles you may be interested in...
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
ZeroAvia’s Dornier with hydrogen-electric propulsion system flies for the first time
EVTOL & VTOL
What growth can we expect in the Evtol market in the coming years ?
Drones News & Articles
Flying drone home delivery is also being tested in Budapest
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are air traffic control and air navigation services adapting to eVTOL ?
Drones News & Articles
Walmart’s drones now deliver in seven Member States
Walmart's drone delivery program is expanding nicely. According to the company, shoppers in seven US.......... READ MORE
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
How are companies and governments working to develop and regulate electric Evtols and what challenges do they face in bringing these vehicles to market ?
Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, or Evtols, have garnered significant attention in recent years.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
What developments have been made in the field of electric motors ?
The increasing demand for energy efficiency and the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles have.......... READ MORE
Air taxi News & Articles
Stellantis joins forces with air taxi developer Archer
The goal is to have the Midnight, a local take-off and landing vehicle designed for.......... READ MORE
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Alef A flying car is on sale – taxis could be on the way in three years
The Alef A model is a flying car being sold by Alef Aeronautics for around.......... READ MORE
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Israeli flying car on AIR
An Israeli start-up is attempting to distinguish itself by creating an eVTOL intended for widespread.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
The first supersonic aircraft engine to run on sustainable fuel
Boom Supersonic's Overture aims to revolutionize supersonic passenger travel with its new engine. The Overture.......... READ MORE
Drones News & Articles
Drones could help weather forecasting
A drone with a wind sensor was used to collect weather data in the Sea.......... READ MORE