Six Airlander aircraft proposed for rural Scotland  

HITRANS (Highland and Islands Transport Partnership) is the statutory transport body for the Highland and Islands region, which makes up over 50 per cent of Scotland’s land mass. With a relatively thin population spread across such a wide area, moving passengers and freight around the region is a challenge.

Having previously conducted a UKRI-funded feasibility study on using airships in northern Scotland, HAV and HITRANS will now advance the business case for the commercial deployment of Airlander 10 vehicles in the region. HAV has also committed to reserve early production slots for six Airlander 10 aircraft for HITRANS.

“We are excited to see early concept work progress further towards eventual service,” HITRANS director, Ranald Robertson, said in a statement. “We are committing resources and effort to work with even greater focus with HAV to produce a compelling business case that will attract the commercial interest and investment required. This is a direct product of the successful SATE [Sustainable Aviation Test Environment] project, supported by UKRI, where the challenges of connectivity in northern Scotland are proving an ideal test for both the technical and commercial capabilities of new technology.”