COVERAGE: The Telegraph - British airship pioneer plots flights to the Amazon and Arctic
Christopher Jasper, 9th March 2025
A British airship business plans to launch flights to remote parts of the Amazon and Arctic using a blimp that can land on lakes, snowfields and forest clearings.
Shropshire-based Straightline Aviation said the Z1 airship will be able to transport more than 20 tonnes of cargo to far-flung sites, hundreds of miles from the nearest road or runway.
This could include carrying heavy mining and oil industry equipment to northern Canada or undertaking medical missions to isolated parts of Africa and South America.
The versatility of the Z1, which is being developed by California-based manufacturer AT2 Aerospace, stems from an air-cushioned underside which makes any clear patch of ground a potential landing zone.
Straightline, which last week placed a $50m (£39m) order for the first Z1 for delivery in 2028, is betting the vehicle will usher in a new era of airships, which for decades have merely been used as floating advertising devices.
