A Swiss company wants to build a literal airship in 2026: a yacht that can optionally be used as a zeppelin. If necessary, the “Airyacht” can even be parked on land and used as a house.
Russian oligarchs are currently experiencing it live: Sometimes the oceans aren’t big enough to withdraw from the public eye. Wouldn’t it be practical to just fly away with your own yacht? This is exactly what the Swiss company “Airyacht” is planning. As early as 2026, the aim is to offer the rich and beautiful of this world the opportunity to spend a luxury holiday not only on water, but also in the air and on land – in just one vehicle.
750 Quadratmeter to go
The system consists of two components: the heart is a 52 meter long yacht. It offers 750 square meters of living space and space for up to twelve passengers – and for the crew.
If you want to leave the oceans, a 200 meter long rigid airship is attached. According to the concept, the helium-filled missile is attached to the yacht with cables and then forms a unit with the floating body. In this constellation, the ship serves as a cabin.
Small disadvantage: For weight reasons, the yacht does not have an engine, so it cannot move on the water without help. This would then require auxiliary boats that take over the task of a tugboat.
3 kilometers above the sea
The airship, on the other hand, has its own drive. Initially, a hybrid solution should provide propulsion, later, according to the manufacturer, a fuel cell is planned. The manufacturer specifies the maximum speed as 93 kilometers per hour, and the maximum altitude should be 3000 meters.
As a third option, the “Airyacht” should also act as a holiday home. For this purpose, the cabin has stilts that can be extended on land to park the vehicle safely. A garage in the belly of the yacht offers space for cars, which can then be used to explore the area.
Where to go with the zeppelin?
The manufacturer leaves it open how one imagines the storage of the airships. If you use the yacht as such for a long time, the 200-meter zeppelin would only get in the way. Finding a parking space for such a vehicle sounds like a tricky task.
In the case of other, very similar air-water vehicles, the design was therefore thought up completely differently. For example, buyers of a Lazzarini air yacht wouldn’t have this problem – here the airship parts should also function as floats, with the cabin located in between. But: While the flying ship from Italy remains a concept, the Swiss “Airyacht” is actually supposed to be built in a few years.
Source: Airyacht
