Zeppelins Returning As Cargo Carriers In Europe By 2016

Zeppelins used to be kings of the sky, and new it looks like in the next couple of years the classic airship will be making a come back in a big way. Cargolux’s new generation of Zeppelins will be designed to carry cargo and their first fleet will feature 22 airships that will go into operation as early as 2016.

Zeppelins are originally from Germany, the creation of Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. These new models will however will be created in California under a partnership with Aeroscraft Corporation. They’ll be capable of fully vertical landing and take off, will be a whopping 554ft long and be capable of carrying 65 tonnes of cargo. The cruising speed will be a breezy 120 knots and the aircraft will have a range of 3100 nautical miles.

While the Zeppelin has been in use for decades for advertising, surveillance and pleasure flights, it’s great to see the classic Zeppelin make a big come back.

Thank you T3 for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of T3.