Bored of travelling by airplane? Well there could be a new way of flying coming to airports soon, in the form of a giant blimp.
It's called Airlander and it will be the world's largest passenger aircraft at 302 feet in length, 60 feet longer than an Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane.
Blimps are a type of non-rigid airship—an aircraft with no fixed structure that is inflated with gas, allowing it to keep its shape. Airships are lighter than air and navigate through the skies under their own power.
Presently in the testing phase, Hybrid Air Vehicles, the company behind the Airlander, hopes to have the vehicle in the sky by early 2016 and is marketing it as the newest thing in luxury travel, with tables and even a cocktail bar.
The company claims the Airlander will offer travelers a flight option that offers "major improvements in safety, operating costs, environmental impact and operational flexibility."
Luxury—or just leisurely?
But going at just 100 miles per hour—compared to an Airbus A380 top speed of 630 miles per hour—will this new form of travel really take off? Hybrid Air Vehicles think so.
"We're never going to compete with a (Boeing) 747 going across the Atlantic and we don't want to," Chris Daniels, head of partnerships and communication at Hybrid Air Vehicles, told CNBC.
"What we will do is do something different, where people are concerned about the environment and they want to prove that by going in a very low carbon aircraft and having a luxurious experience."
Surveillance in Afghanistan
The Airlander project started off in an unlikely way. It was initially developed as part of a $500 million U.S. army contract as a surveillance tool in Afghanistan.
It made its first flight in 2012, but after budget cuts in 2013, the project was axed and the company bought the Airlander back to the U.K.
Work has continued and Hybrid Air Vehicles is in the middle of a £2 million crowdfunding drive—where a project is funded by money raised from a large number of people, usually through the Internet.
The company has also raised nearly £6 million ($9.2 million) from various U.K. government grants.
Remember the Hindenburg?
Airships were more common in the first three decades of the 20th century and have a checkered past. In 1937, German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg crashed and caught fire killing around 15 people. Since then, modern airplanes have been the choice of travel, with airlines such as Emirates courting the luxury traveler.
Daniels recognizes the challenge, but is convinced that he can persuade people to fly in the Airlander.
"We've done lots of testing, we've got four engines, we only need to fly on one, we can float on none…And we're filled with inert helium which doesn't burn…it's not like the hydrogen of olden days," he said.
The company even said that if the aircraft was shot with a bullet, it would not affect the flight as the gas leakage would be so slow.
Kevlar skin surrounds the blimp, which holds 38,000 cubic meters of helium gas, and the aircraft is designed to remain in skies for 21 days without the need to refuel.
Daniels is hoping that it will appeal to passengers wanting to see the world from the skies, with offerings such as safaris and overnight trips.
"It will be a big, slow-moving luxurious way to travel around the world," he said.
The question is whether the company can strike the right cord with luxury travelers and persuade them to swap their first class ticket on a jet for a trip in the Airlander.
