What looks like just another skyscraper when docked, could possibly magically lift into the sky someday and change the way we travel. With the Aircruise, the traveling may well become the most enjoyable part of the event – with a focus on taking it sloooowly.
The Aircruise is a giant vertical concept airship by London-based design and innovation company Seymourpowell. The 265 metre-tall ship is powered by natural energy and designed to carry travelers in style and luxury.
Origingally designed to be a hotel in the sky with a low passenger number and huge interior spaces, the Aircruise was Seymourpowell’s self-generated project before it caught the attention of Samsung Construction & Trading.
Samsung appointed Seymourpowell to refine the Aircruise. The latest concept presents an alternative take on the future, empahasising that “slow is the new fast”. Design director Nick Talbot explains luxury travel is often based on space and resource constraints. The Aircruise aims to provide a more “serene transport experience” with the journey being part of the experience, rather than a rush to get from A to B. It would contain a hotel with features like penthouses, duplex apartments, bars, lounges and decks.
The Aircruise can best be likened to a world cruise, through the skies rather than on the ocean. It would be lifted by hydrogen and powered by solar energy.
According to Seymourpowell’s specifications, the Aircruise would fly at an altitude of 3500 metres while cruising at a speed of 100-150km, which means it will take roughly 37 hours to fly from London to New York.