Fresh impetus for air transport of heavy cargo
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), a British company that designs and manufactures airships, is launching a new partner programme to enable key partners and customers to influence, optimise and accelerate the design specification of Airlander 50.
Unlike HAV’s first aircraft, Airlander 10, the Airlander 50 is optimised for logistics and freight transport, owing to its ability to carry a payload of 50-60 t, and cargoes as large as six ISO shipping containers.
Like Airlander 10, Airlander 50 will be able to move cargo or people point-to-point with minimal infrastructure. It will enable its users to bypass congested infrastructure such as ports, connect services to underserved locations, and avoid intermodal steps that currently interrupt journeys by sea, road and rail. (ah)