SInce we’re talking climate change I think we should bring back airships for short-haul flights. The fact it floats with little effort means less fuel is needed.
SInce we’re talking climate change I think we should bring back airships for short-haul flights. The fact it floats with little effort means less fuel is needed.
if you want to focus specifically on flights the answer doesn’t really change. Suitable aircraft already exist, and alternative power is just over the horizon.
but if you want an argument for why blimps (or similar aircraft) aren’t great for transport, they require a lot of material to counteract the mass of their load and travel around 50mph as their top speed. If the distance you wanted to transport something was short and accessible by land, you’d be better off putting it on a truck. The only major advantage that airships have over other aircraft is lower immissions paired with helicopter-like performance. But once EV helicopters become more of a thing, that advantage goes away.
For transportation there may be a niche for deliveries to the middle of nowhere Siberia or Canada that electric aerodynes can’t fill well.