Airships require less fuel than conventional aircraft, according to HAV a “Buoyancy from helium lift, aerodynamic levitation, and vector pressure” because of the combination. In addition, they emit 90 percent fewer harmful substances than conventional aircraft.

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It is planned that a hybrid fuel and aircraft electric model will be available by 2025 and an all-electric version by 2030. For the first time, photos of the airship cabin have been published. “As you can see, it’s a large, spacious and easily accessible cabin.” Plus, huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer luxurious panoramic views, Tom Grundy, CNN giant’s CEO boasts.

The airship features a non-pressurized cabin and is designed to withstand high and low temperatures, strong winds and even lightning strikes, under the same regulatory requirements as other passenger aircraft, according to the CEO.

“Airlander flights don’t compete with long-haul flights or routes already served by high-speed rail,” Grande said, but prefers to focus on connecting cities a few hundred miles away. Examples include the Liverpool-Belfast, Seattle-Vancouver and Stockholm-Oslo lines, as Grande noted that the blimp would be especially useful in island nations like Indonesia, but would also provide an ideal flight to the northern Canadian hinterland.

The balloon has a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour (about 81 miles per hour), and HAV says the flight between Liverpool and Belfast — 271 kilometers (168 miles) — takes five hours and 20 minutes. The company plans to operate three aircraft by 2023, with the first passengers to be received in 2025.

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