A brand-new aircraft, dubbed the 'flying bum' (little explanation needed), is promising to make waves in the luxury travel industry and change the way we explore the world. Airlander 10 is expected to offer a new ‘air cruise’ experience – slow sightseeing from above in total comfort. Sounds ideal, but what’s the reality and when can we expect to board one? We spoke to creators, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), to find out what Airlander 10 is all about.

Inspired by the airships of the past, Airlander 10 is a new breed of hyper-efficient aircraft, designed to suit the modern world. It is currently the world’s largest aircraft – it’s the size of a football pitch – yet it can stay airborne for up to five days at a time thanks to the innovative engineering and design that’s been in the making since the 1970s.

The airship is filled with lighter-than-air helium – instead of the hydrogen that led to the tragic Hindenburg airship disaster – which offsets the airship’s weight on the ground. The peculiar shape helps to make it airborne too: the hull actually acts as a wing, helping to generate lift as the airship moves through the skies.

Unlike other aircraft, Airlander is virtually noiseless and has complete stability throughout the flight. The airship’s most attractive feature is the angled floor-to-ceiling windows with a top section that can be opened. As the cruising altitude of an Airlander is around 1,000 feet (305m), passengers will have access to fresh air mid-flight.

It’s extremely environmentally friendly: its fuel consumption is only about 10% of a helicopter’s and 25% of an aeroplane’s in like-for-like tasks. This means that per passenger it will have a carbon footprint that’s less than a tenth of a jet. The airship can also take off and land virtually anywhere so it doesn’t need an existing airport or any other special infrastructure built for it.

The ultra-efficient aircraft can be used to move cargo or fuel and offers unrivalled ease thanks to its ability to land anywhere. Its most exciting use, though, is as a passenger airship, allowing travellers to explore the world in a far more relaxed setting than any other aircraft can offer.

HAV has chosen South Yorkshire as their building site for their fleet of eco-friendly airships. The site will be located in a green aerospace manufacturing zone and focus on bulding 10 Airlander 10 aircraft for Spanish airline Air Nostrum.

HAV have already partnered with luxury adventure provider Henry Cookson Adventures, working with the Airlander company since 2017. Cookson Adventures has helped HAV with their expert team on different sections such as development and onboard guest experience. 

Currently, while the aircraft is still in testing, the passenger compartment is just an empty box. But in the future the operating companies will be able to design the configuration of this area themselves. Think anything from a 90-seat standard train seat layout to a 40-seat fine-dining restaurant, a first class airline cabin, a comfortable living room with plush sofas or even luxurious eight double ensuite hotel rooms with a king-sized bed.

HAV have partnered with aviation design consultants Design Q on working out how to fit a 5-star passenger compartment within the Airlander’s dimensions. These digital renderings of the aircraft gliding above the Grand Canyon show just how the sightseeing experience could look.

The creators of Airlander say there’s a huge market for their airships to conquer. Head of Communications, Chris Daniels, told us: “Anywhere helicopters or hot air balloon tours exist we can exist and be better. We can give a degree of comfort that a helicopter or a hot air balloon can’t give. Do you go and see the Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon or the Great Wall of China? The possibilities are endless.”

Under a recent deal with Spanish airline Air Nostrum, HAV is building 10 of their Airlanders for commercial travel. Production is tipped to start in 2022 and the aircraft will be delivered in 2026. Initially, they'd serve on a Barcelona to Mallorca route, whisking passengers away in around four hours. Commercial flights with Airlander are expected be more expensive than coach travel and slower than conventional air travel, but it offers its passengers the opportunity to go directly from city centre to city centre, rather than battling with airports miles out of town.

HAV plans to convert Airlander into a zero-carbon aircraft in phases. It doesn’t have the limitations of an aeroplane, like powerful engines that need heavy batteries, which makes developing a zero-carbon airship slightly easier. HAV is currently working on developing the engineering and technical work before implementing the changes.

On 18 November 2017, Airlander 10 detached from its moorings for reasons that are yet to be determined. Despite the incident, HAV are still committed to developing the Airlander and building upon their previous success in test flights.

Although the incident will have an impact on testing and production time frame, a leading airspace analysis company called Renaissance Strategic Advisors has estimated there's a £37 billion ($45bn) market for Airlanders, meaning it's likely to be big business when it finally gets off the ground. The company’s ultimate goal is to become as ubiquitous as helicopters are right now.

“As with any new industry we have to start slowly, but I would love it if in 10 years we could say that half of the population have experienced a flight on Airlander,” Chris says. “Right now we are focused on the fact that we are a business so we want to have a product and we want to have customers, but the huge end goal is for it to become a common aircraft in the aero-industry.”