Canadian North (5T, Yellowknife) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with French cargo airship developer Flying Whales to study the potential for operating large cargo airships in Northern Canada and the High Arctic.
The French startup is developing the LCA60T, a long-range 200m-long rigid airship with a payload capacity of 60 tons, due to its hovering capacity, designed to provide heavy-load cargo solutions in remote areas with a low environmental footprint.
Honeywell has been selected to power the hybrid-electric LCA60TI. Flying Whale has raised EUR122 million euros (USD133 million) for the venture, including funding from the French, Monaco, and Quebec governments. The development of LCA60T is led by its Montreal-based subsidiary Flying Whales Quebec. Plans include 150 airships in the next decade.
Inuit-owned Canadian North Airlines and Flying Whales will explore how Inuit communities could benefit from freight and logistic transportation to remote communities and the operating conditions airships would face in the region.
"We're pleased to partner with Flying Whales on their game-changing innovation. We'll provide detailed insights gained over our 77 years of experience operating in the Canadian North and Arctic," Canadian North Airlines President and CEO Michael Rodyniuk said in a statement.
"As an Inuit-owned company and with their expertise in Northern operations, Canadian North is a very good partner for a better understanding of the actual needs regarding freight & logistic transportation to remote communities in Northern Canada and the conditions we will face in the region," added Flying Whales President and CEO, Sebastien Bougon.
Flying Whales has also entered into a strategic partnership with Kerry Project Logistics (KPL), the project arm of the Asia-based freight forwarder Kerry Logistics, operating in remote and challenging areas on projects facing huge logistical challenges for customers keen on decarbonising their transport.
