Dubai: The global airship hub of the future?
One, Lockheed Martin’s Hybrid Airship, will have a 10ft x 10ft x 60ft cargo bay capable of carrying a 21-tonne payload and 19 passengers. A British counterpart, the Airlander 10, has a smaller payload of 10 tonnes, but space for 48 passengers.
Airships Arabia told Airways Arabia it sees several different roles for the airships. One is transporting fresh flowers from Kenya, a major growing region for the supply of florists, up the East African coast to Dubai.
Dubai is already an air freight distribution point for fresh flowers all over Europe. More broadly, air freight is forecast to contribute 37.5% to the emirate’s GDP by the end of this decade.
Airships Arabia’s planned flights from Kenya will take much longer than conventional aircraft (around 24 hours versus five), but the company says that the airships offer a key advantage for flower transport.
When carrying a light but bulky cargo such as flowers, a conventional aircraft bulks out before it loads out, something that will not happen with a hybrid airship.
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