Spanish airline Air Nostrum invests in hybrid airship fleet

Spanish Airline the Air Nostrum Group has put in an order of 10 next gen airships. Photo / Supplied, HAV

Spanish airline Air Nostrum has placed a substantial order for air ships, in what could be a renaissance for the unusual mode of transport.

HAV (Hybrid Air Vehicles) said it has received an order of 10 vehicles by the Air Nostrum Group. The Airlander aircraft are due for delivery in 2026.

It could be the largest commercial order of the vehicles since the 1930s. However it is environmental concerns and not nostalgia that is re-inflating the idea.

HAV said that the models are aimed at regional flights and the fleet would cut 90 per cent of emissions from the Spanish domestic routes.

The Airlander 10 has been commissioned with seating for 100 passengers.

The aerospace company based out of North East England told the BBC that the deal represents 1800 jobs at their South Yorkshire plant.

Why an airship known as the 'flying bum' could curb air travel emissions

The twin hulled aircraft have been trialled since the early 2010s, to the awe and amusement of aviation fans.

Its unusual shape earned it the moniker the 'Flying Bum'.

The 'Flying Bum': The Airlander 10 at Cardington Airfield. Photo / Supplied, Hybrid Air Vehicles

According to the HAV website the hybrid electric and helium aircraft will be able to cruise at high altitudes and rely on electric moto

"Unlike an airship, it is heavier-than-air," allowing them to have less infrastructure on the ground and be more stable as a design.

Another key difference with the airships of the 1920s will be the use of helium, rather than hydrogen. This non-flammable choice of gas makes it the far safer option.

The airship fell from grace after high-profile disasters involving hydrogen airships including the Hindenburg Disaster and the R101, which claimed 35 and 48 lives respectively.

HAV says the design is perfectly safe and ready for passenger transport with the Spanish regional carrier. "We are approved by the CAA to design and build aircraft," says their website.

Talking to media following the deal the company's CEO Tom Grundy says that it is the perfect fit for the EU's current de-carbonisation targets.

The prototype HAV 304 in flight in 2012. Photo / Supplied, Hybrid Air Vehicles

"As countries like France, Denmark, Norway, Spain and the UK begin to put in place ambitious mandates for the decarbonisation of domestic and short haul flight, Hybrid Air Vehicles and Air Nostrum Group are demonstrating how we can get there - and get there soon," he said in a statement.

Carlos Bertomeu, president of Air Nostrum, said the aircraft fitted into the company's wider carbon reduction commitments.

"The Airlander 10 will dramatically lower emissions and that is why we have reached this agreement with HAV," he said.

The airships have a powered electric range of 350km and a hybrid-electric range of over 750km, according to HAV.

This would put cities like Copenhagen in range of Stockholm and Brussels, or an equivalent distance of Auckland to Christchurch.

However, with a top speed of 130km/ph it would be a leisurely 6 hour cruise to get there.