COVERAGE: Shropshire Star - Giant airships are back - Bridgnorth aviation company places £40 million order for pioneering new eco-friendly aircraft
Mike Sheridan, 4th March 2025
The owners of a Bridgnorth airship firm say a near £40m investment in airships is a game-changer for the company and the aviation industry.
Straightline Aviation has ordered a fleet of pioneering new eco-friendly 'hybrid' airships which it says will create an "unprecedented" ability to deliver goods to hard-to-reach locations across the globe.
The company, which is based in Bridgnorth, says the order is a major milestone - with delivery of the first "Z1" hybrid airship expected in 2028 and initial flights planned for humanitarian and remote cargo missions in Brazil, Alaska and northern Canada.
The firm says it's poised to be the lead operator for a fleet of what it describes as "next generation" airships, which use patented new technology to allow the aircraft to take off and land on a wider range of locations, and allow it be moved while on the ground.
The pioneering new designs have been built by American aerospace and defence firm AT2 Aerospace, a spinoff of American defence group Lockheed Martin.
“This is a defining moment for Straightline Aviation and the global logistics industry," said Mark Dorey, CEO of Straightline Aviation.
