Airship Expeditions with OceanSky Cruises

A unique experience

Flying with the wind, low and slow… your airship glides serenely across the Arctic Ocean. From the comfort of the luxurious lounge, large windows frame a spectacular view of icebergs and pack ice a few hundred metres below. There’s time to savour the moment. No roar of jet engines – just the gentle hum of battery-powered turbines. Instead of a cramped airliner cabin, your home in the skies is more reminiscent of a superyacht. Only 16 guests share the space in 8 sumptuous staterooms – modern-day explorers bound for the North Pole…

Flying to the North Pole in an airship

It’s been done before. The Norge flew across the top of the world almost 100 years ago. But the Golden Age of airships came to an abrupt end in 1937 following the Hindenburg disaster. So, why the revival in airship travel now? To put it simply, the time is right. Our exciting new airship expeditions with OceanSky Cruises harness innovative technology to offer aviation a safe, sustainable future. By joining one of these pioneering trips, you will be at the forefront of a new era in low-energy, zero-emission flying. And you will also make history by being one of the first to land at the North Pole in an airship. It’s going to be an incredible journey!

What are modern airships like?

OceanSky Cruises are developing new state-of-the art airships designed to fly for days and access the most remote and unexplored parts of the world. With no need for runways or airports, they can land in far-flung places with the lightest of footprints. Unlike a passenger jet, an airship’s cabin is not pressurized, which allows for large windows offering panoramic views – especially from the low altitudes at which they operate. You can also expect a luxurious experience onboard – 8 staterooms (some with viewing platforms), a sumptuous lounge and superb cuisine specially designed to suit the journey.

What is it like onboard the airship?

The interior of OceanSky’s airship offers a similar level of space, comfort and service as you would find on a luxury yacht. The airship is 98m long and 50m wide, and boasts a large communal lounge with bar, dining area and panoramic windows. There are 8 cabins on board, each sleeping up to 2 people and featuring an ensuite bathroom. Exquisite dining is all part of the experience and you’ll be treated to a superb menu designed by Jesper Vollmer.

Our polar Travel Specialists will tailor-make a programme of optional pre- and post-expedition activities for you, that might include kayaking and wildlife tours. When weather conditions are right, you’ll board the airship to embark on your flight to the North Pole and back. At the start of this unforgettable 48-hour journey, you’ll be captivated by the sight of Spitsbergen’s glacier-fringed coastline drifting beneath you. Perhaps you’ll glimpse whales feeding in the bays below, or even spot walruses or a polar bear.

As your airship floats out across the Arctic Ocean there will be ample time to relax in the opulent lounge, enjoy a cocktail and chat with fellow guests over a delicious meal cooked using local ingredients and paired with fine wines. During summer, the midnight sun offers endless daylight, so you will be able to admire the intricate patterns of Arctic pack ice passing beneath you late into the night. Retiring to your private cabin for two, with its shower and bathroom, deeply angled windows ensure you never feel detached from the breathtaking wilderness. Comfortable beds with eco-mattresses ensure you get a good sleep before arriving at the North Pole the following morning.

Slowing to a cycling pace, your airship gently touches down on the frozen white expanse of the High Arctic. Stepping onto the ice, you will become one of the privileged few to have reached the North Pole – and you will have done it using the latest ecologically sustainable, lighter-than-air technology. During approximately six hours at the North Pole, your expedition leader will help you explore the pristine and surreal surroundings before the 19-hour return flight to Svalbard.

Is airship travel safe?

Back in the old days, airships were filled with highly-flammable hydrogen. But now it’s helium – inert, stable and non-flammable – that inflates the envelope of modern airships. They are also constructed with stronger, lighter materials and coated with bullet-proof Kevlar. Airships take off and land at about the speed of a bicycle; they have four independent engines and don’t need a runway in the event of an emergency. They also fly low and unpressurised, so there is no risk of rapid decompression. Like all forms of commercial aviation, OceanSky’s airships will undergo extensive trials and be regulated by stringent certification requirements.

What if bad weather affects my airship flight?

Our trips run in June and July during the height of the Arctic summer, when the weather is at its most settled. By building in extra days to the overall itinerary, there’s flexibility to embark on the North Pole flight when weather conditions are optimal. Several features of OceanSky’s Airlander also allow it to operate in less-than-perfect conditions. For take-off and landing, the airship is designed to tolerate wind conditions similar to commercial airliners. It is not restricted by cross-winds (an airship can simply turn into the wind and take off in any direction, since no runway is required) and it can also withstand lightning strikes and icing, similar to other aircraft. By flying slowly at low altitude, modern airships can safely navigate above or below clouds.

The Future

This is the first step towards truly sustainable aviation. As with any pioneering form of travel, it’s expensive and experiential to begin with, but the potential is huge. The North Pole is just the beginning. It was chosen to demonstrate how airships can take intrepid travellers to the remotest places with minimal impact on the environment. Where could it lead next? Well, OceanSky already have plans for a Capricorn Voyage in Africa, traversing the arid wilderness of the Namib and Kalahari. But the vision for airship travel is bigger and bolder than exclusive expeditions for the lucky few. OceanSky believe that, in the future, airships could be ’trains in the sky’ – a new kind of airline offering the wider public a viable way to travel and explore that doesn’t demand huge amounts of energy.