Talk about a multi-hyphenate
We don’t envy fish for their binding dependency on water, so our fascination with yachts is rather odd. When out of water, its potential is as limited as a fish’s. You can’t take it to the desert or the mountains — or can you?
You can, if you own an AirYacht. Created by an eponymous Swiss company, it’s a hybrid that’s essentially a yacht and a blimp in one. Instead of sailing your yacht to a limited selection of coastal destinations, you can now “moor” it anywhere in the world by airlift. The creators claim that it’s a solution that combines the best of naval and aeronautical innovation.
The base of the vehicle is a 60-metre yacht that offers 750sqm of luxury living space spread out across three floors. There’s a gym, a sauna, and an additional 350sqm of terrace, or outdoor space, with a pool. Above, is the 200-metre blimp — the company calls it a rigid airship — that’s responsible for getting the yacht airborne. The airship is touted to be the world’s largest.
One of the main selling points of AirYacht, besides the fact that it can both fly and sail, is its low environmental impact. The airship is filled with helium, which means that its energy consumption is much better than conventional aircrafts. The future plan is to fully convert to hydrogen power.
When sailing, the yacht uses an electric engine. The airship can act like a sail to pull it along to achieve faster speeds without using more energy. By making it possible to airdrop a luxury accommodation anywhere in the world, AirYacht also eliminates the need for building ground infrastructure, thereby reducing the impact on the local natural environment.
The first delivery is expected in 2026.
