The company says the first diesel engines will cut emissions by 75%, increasing to 90% after 2025 as electric engines are added, and 100 per cent once hydrogen fuel cells come of age.r
Meanwhile, the French company, Flying Whales has secured US$23m of funding from the government of Quebec for helium dirigibles to supply the vast expanses of the Grand Nord and separately, Lockheed Martin is developing its own cargo airship. The UK start-up Varialift Airship had less luck than Hybrid Air in securing help from the UK government for its aluminium freight ship so it turned to France, which offered a disused military airfield at Chateaudun. Varialift Airship aims for full certification by 2023, claiming his ARH 50 model has the same cargo payload as a Boeing 747 but needs just five tons of fuel for a comparable trans-Atlantic journey.
The airship revival raises questions around aviation regulations, helium supply, and the viability of reintroducing hydrogen as a means of aerostatic lift, given its high flammability. The sector is developing quickly, and the need for decarbonized aviation technology solutions is increasingly pressing.