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Date Published: 17/06/2022
ARCHIVED - Spanish airline buys 10 UK-built helium airships for tourist travel
Passengers in Spain could be travelling in the futuristic aircraft by 2026
A small Bedford-based British company is paving the way for greener air travel, building unique helium airships that contribute a fraction of the harmful emissions as traditional planes. Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has announced that it has signed a deal with Air Nostrum for 10 of these airships, which could be zooming tourists around Spain by as early as 2026.
HAV business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Hybrid aircraft could play an important role as we transition to cleaner forms of aviation, and it is wonderful to see the UK right at the forefront of the technology’s development.
“This agreement enhances the possibility of the revolutionary, British-made and designed, Airlander 10 aircraft flying across Spanish skies.
“It is more proof of how the UK’s businesses are embracing new technology to drive growth and support high skilled UK jobs.”
The Spain-bound airships will be built in South Yorkshire and, according to the manufacturers, leave only a 4.5kg carbon footprint for each passenger compared to a regular plane’s 53kg.
Each hybrid aircraft can carry 100 passengers and would make the trip between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in 4.5 hours.
Air Nostrum’s president Carlos Bertomeu said: “The Airlander 10 will drastically reduce emissions and for that reason we have made this agreement with HAV.
“Sustainability, which is good news for everyone, is already a non-negotiable fact in the daily operations of commercial aviation.”
So far there have been no hints at which Spanish routes the aircraft would be used for, but according to HAV, the Airlander 10 is best suited to inter-city transport.
Air travel is one of the biggest pollutants around the globe and all those involved in the venture believe these hybrid airships will contribute significantly to a better future for sustainable aviation services.
Images: HAV
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