The ‘superyacht in the sky’ that could change sustainable travel
The first Airlander 10 service is set to fly by 2028
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A new airship production site in Doncaster will help to create a fleet of “green” aircrafts by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) set for take off in 2028.
The City of Doncaster Council and HAV have revealed plans for a flagship Airlander 10 production centre at Carcroft Common.
The Airlander 10 is described as “ultra-low emissions” and “the world’s most efficient large aircraft” by HAV with a top speed of around 100mph.
MP for Doncaster North, Ed Miliband said: “This is absolutely fantastic news for Carcroft and for Doncaster. This new production site will create over 1,200 much needed highly skilled jobs to the area as well as bring green air travel a step closer.”
The company aim to produce up to 24 Airlander 10 aircrafts per year at the Carcroft Common site.
Onboard the hybrid aircraft, buoyant from non-flammable helium, there is a capacity for up to 100 passengers or 10 tons of payload.
“The City of Doncaster is at the forefront of embracing new technology to drive growth and this proposed Hybrid Air Vehicles site is not only part of our ambitious growth strategy but also our pioneering climate change ambitions, focussing on new green advanced manufacturing and sustainable industrial innovation,” said Ros Jones, mayor of Doncaster.
Tom Grundy, CEO of Hybrid Air Vehicles, believes the new production centre will create a “£1bn per annum export”.
“Our vision to rethink clean flight has been met with robust support at every step of the way by the City of Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire region,” Grundy added.
Air Nostrum, the Spanish regional airline, will be the first to use the service, with plans to take a fleet of 20 Airlander 10s to the Mediterranean in just four years.
The project development comes eight years after the Airlander 10 crashed during its second test flight in 2016.
No crew were injured when the 98m long part plane part airship crashed nose first as it landed at its Cardington Airfield base at the end of its second attempt to fly.
A spokesperson for HAV said: “The prototype Airlander 10 undertook its second test flight and flew for 100 minutes, completing all the planned tasks before returning to Cardington to land.
“The Airlander experienced a heavy landing and the front of the flight deck has sustained some damage which is currently being assessed.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments