FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY and LOS GATOS, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/26/07 -- ZeppelinLuftschifftechnik (ZLT) and Airship Ventures today announced thatZeppelin's fourth Zeppelin NT07, currently under construction inFriedrichshafen, has been optioned by California-based Airship Ventures,Inc. It is projected to arrive in the US in the second quarter of 2008.Airship Ventures, Inc., a corporation formed to bring passenger Zeppelinoperations to the US, intends to conduct exclusive flight-seeing tours aswell as carry scientific and other special mission payloads.
Thomas Brandt, CEO of ZLT, and Michael Schieschke, COO of ZLT, announcingthe agreement, said, "We had previously identified the San Francisco BayArea as a highly promising location in the world for a Zeppelin to operate.And in Airship Ventures, we are proud to find the partner that has takenthe step into the optioning of the airship to bring this historicopportunity closer to realization."
The Zeppelin NT07 airship, carrying up to 12 passengers, will be thelargest airship flying in the US. At 246 feet in length, it is more than50ft longer than the largest blimp. Using the inert gas helium for lift,and vectored thrust engines for flight, the Zeppelin NT has been flyingwith an unparalleled safety record in Germany, Japan and South Africa since2001.
Brian Hall, President of Airship Ventures, commented, "We are excited to beworking with Zeppelin to bring this unique vehicle and its breathtakingpassenger experiences to the US. The San Francisco Bay Area has a richhistory involving airships in such locations as Treasure Island and MoffettField and it will seem particularly appropriate to have the Zeppelinoperating here."
The NT07 airships have been commercially operated since 2001 carrying morethan 65,000 passengers and have flown for over 10,000 flight hours to date.It has also performed numerous special missions such as traffic controlduring the 2006 FIFA Soccer World Championship, diamond exploration onbehalf of DeBeers in Southern Africa, and is currently the largest everflying art project, bearing the colorful and unique artwork of StefanSzczesny in support of an international art festival on Mainau Island, LakeConstance, Germany.
Alexandra Hall, CEO of Airship Ventures, said, "The Zeppelin is such a wellthought out and engineered vehicle. It is uniquely suited to both leisureoperations and as a platform for conducting experiments. I'm particularlyexcited about the range of science and industry partnerships that this willenable. The view from the airship will be magical, but then it will beflying over some of the most innovative and exciting landscape in thecountry!"
ABOUT ZEPPELIN LUFTSCHIFFTECHNIK GMBH & CO KG
Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG, headquartered in historicFriedrichshafen, Germany, develops, manufactures and markets the ZeppelinNT, a modern lighter than air multi-purpose airship. There are threeZeppelin NT airships currently operating in the world -- one in Japan, onein South Africa, and one in Germany. In partnership with Deutsche ZeppelinReederei, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik, aZeppelin NT07 has flown commercial air tours, advertising, and scientificmissions throughout Europe since 1997.
ABOUT AIRSHIP VENTURES, INC.
Airship Ventures, Inc., founded 2007 in Los Gatos, California, is aprivately owned corporation formed with the initial objective of bringing aZeppelin NT07 airship to the US for commercial air tours, scientificpayloads, media and advertising operations.
Airship Ventures is a trademark of Airship Ventures, Inc. Zeppelin is atrademark of Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG. All other product andbrand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respectiveowners.
Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine
Zeppelin Contact:
Kathrin Runge
Press Relations
Email Contact
+49-7541-5900-547
Airship Ventures Contact:
Alexandra Hall
CEO
Email Contact
+1-408-317-4310