Air Nostrum (YW, Valencia Manises) says it will fly its future airships on short-haul routes to destinations not currently served by airlines and without airports. With its relatively short average sector lengths, including some sectors as short as 200 kilometres, the airline believes the Airlander 10 dirigibles are a good fit with its existing conventional aircraft.
In June, Air Nostrum signed a letter of intent to acquire ten Airlander 10 airships from the British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicle (HAV) via operating lease. At the time, both parties mentioned the yet-to-enter-commercial-service airship’s minimal environmental footprint and ability to open new markets.
“We fly aircraft between 50-100 seats. The Airlander 10 can seat 100 passengers, so it fits perfectly,” Air Nostrum Vice Chairman Miguel Angel Falcon recently told RoutesOnline.
“We appreciate it’s not a fast aircraft. It’s quite adequate for our average stage length,” he said noting that the airline’s average stage length is 500 kilometres (270 nautical miles) but contains some routes of just 200 kilometres. “We could consider flying into a city with a harbor rather than an airfield. It opens up a lot of opportunities.”
The ch-aviation fleets module data reveals Air Nostrum currently operates a fleet of 47 planes from its bases in Spain, including eleven ATR72-600s, seven CRJ200s, and twenty-seven CRJ1000s, and two inactive CRJ900s. Air Nostrum primarily operates for Iberia (IB, Madrid Barajas) under the Iberia Regional brand on scheduled flights throughout Spain as well as to various destinations in Western Europe and North Africa.
The Airlander 10 airship is due to enter service in 2026. HAV says the four electric motors will propel up to 100 passengers along at 140 kilometres per hour. Helium will fill the superstructure. HAV adds that the airships will offer operational flexibility and significantly lower emissions than conventional aircraft flying the same number of passengers.
