Could Luxury Blimps Be The Future Of Flying? The Environment Will Thank You Later

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In a move to be more sustainable, a radical new company named Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) is on a mission to reduce the massive carbon footprint of air travel. HAV, who shares that they are “committed to zero-carbon” works by replacing the popular commercial airplanes for short-range flights with blimps instead.

When it comes to aviation, there is an estimated 2.5 percent of global CO2 emissions that come from flights. With all the other water vapor and gases that airplanes produce, flights are estimated to cause around 5 percent of global warming overall.


In order to achieve their goal, HAV hopes to majorly reduce these numbers by using airships for short-haul flights that require less travel times such as flights from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, or possibly New York to Toronto. HAV believes that these quick flights could make a colossal reduction in the carbon emissions that come from most airliners.

Currently, around 47 percent of regional airplane flights within Europe travel around 230 miles or 370 kilometers apart, or even less than that. Yet due to the amount of flights, they still contribute an incredibly big amount of carbon dioxide emissions.

According to HAV, their airships only emit around ten percent of greenhouse gases when compared to other commercial or passenger airplanes. The company has managed to get funding from the frontman of rock band Iron Maiden who also happens to be a seasoned pilot, Bruce Dickinson, alongside the UK government. The company also feels that they can lower further the percentage more as it moves towards electrifying their fleet.


Chief Executive of HAV, Tom Grundy, explains how their airships are similar to a “fast ferry” rather than an actual replacement for commercial airplanes. They also explain that a short-range blimp trip will probably take the same amount of time as a regular airline flight once you count the security procedures, check-in times, boarding, and even the amount of waiting time for the flight to actually leave.

When speaking to the publication The Guardian, Grundy said, “This isn’t a luxury product, it’s a practical solution to challenges posed by the climate crisis.”

He also shared, “We’ve got aircraft designed to travel very long distances going very short distances when there is actually a better solution. How much longer will we expect to have the luxury of traveling these short distances with such a big carbon footprint?”

HAV has been in early deliberations with some commercial airlines in order to possibly partner up so they can handle their usual routes.

“it’s an early and quick win for the climate. Especially when you use this to get over an obstacle like water or hills,” Grundy added.

And for a company that shares, “Sustainability is no longer simply a nice to have. It is a global imperative. Airlander is by its very nature good at being green. It creates efficiency through technology. But we can, and will, do more,” It’s hard to believe that they won’t achieve their goal.

 

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