And one of their first uses will be tours from Svalbard to the North Pole.
From the BBC, December 11:
Could the airship be the answer to sustainable air travel – or is it all a load of hot air?
.... Ocean Sky Cruises are taking things one step further. The pioneering ultra-luxury airship-airline is offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences on a trip from Svalbard to the North Pole, making the most of the fact that an airship can land on ice and does not need an airstrip or an airport. The journey is expected to take two days and will be conducted at the height of luxury in an airship gondola decked out with panoramic windows, fine dining areas and opulent cabins containing eco-luxury beds that take in the views of the icebergs as you go.
Cabins for the extraordinary experience are selling at around US$200,000 – and they are selling so well that the only seats left are on a waiting list basis, despite the fact that there are no current departure dates and the aircraft for the voyage (expected to be the Airlander 10) has not been certified to fly, let alone purchased. Future plans include a route following the Tropic of Capricorn from Namibia's Skeleton Coast to Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, flying low and slow over extraordinary landscapes and wildlife, and stopping in locations hard to reach by plane. Theoretically, it sounds incredible; practically speaking, there is a long way to go....
....MUCH MORE
