FLYING WHALES is a French and Canadian aeronautic start-up developing an environmentally-friendly airship - the LCA60T - designed to transport heavy 60-ton payloads of cargo to remote and difficult-to-access locations.
Airships are a nineteenth-century innovation that largely ceased operations in the 1930s. Why does FLYING WHALES believe that ‘the golden age of cargo aircraft is about to start now’?
There are a few companies that have tried airships, but most have struggled with finding good, supportive shareholders who believe in the project. In 2022, the state of Quebec invested €40 million in our project in exchange for 25% ownership and our shareholder structure is diverse and robust, including the French state as well as industrial companies.
FLYING WHALES initially came about due to our project which aimed to address the forestry industry's issues in France - a country that has the largest forest in Europe but still has to import wood due to accessibility issues. Building roads is not only expensive, but it also has severe ecological impacts. Helicopters are too expensive and heavy, and aeroplanes need airports. This all led to the idea of extracting wood via airship instead.
Where have you identified the products and locations with the most potential and appetite for the use of your airships?
Wood is an important global market, another is power infrastructure - for example wind blades or power towers, which can be transported in one piece. We can also transport food and modular houses to remote communities. Waste management is another major issue in these areas. Special transports, like aircraft fuselages for example, are also within our capabilities since these large items are difficult to transport with traditional logistics. We also have very innovative applications such as our project FLYING CARE which involves transporting mobile hospitals to remote communities on a planned basis, improving healthcare access while reducing cost.
When it comes to application, airships are versatile and we see potential everywhere. A study we commissioned identified a global need for 800 airships. We plan to build 160 airships with assembly lines in France, Quebec, and Australia. Airships built in Quebec will operate in North and South America, while those built in other locations will stay in their respective regions. Each area will have a base to host the airship between operations and for maintenance purposes.
The timeline for expansion includes starting the final assembly line and flight tests in France before starting operations in other locations.
Concerning FLYING WHALES’ long-term goals, what are the current priorities and areas of focus in 2024?
Today, we are finalizing the engineering phase. We passed the critical design review in February, allowing us to enter detailed design and integration testing. For instance, we are developing a hybrid propulsion system with Pratt & Whitney Canada, Honeywell and Safran to power 32 electric motors used for enhanced manoeuvrability. As a fuel for future airships, we are exploring hydrogen either through hydrogen turbines or fuel cells, to achieve full electric operation. The next steps involve integration tests and building our first airship for which we’ll start next year building our first assembly line in France to construct the initial airship. Once built, we aim to start conducting flight tests to cover all necessary conditions for certification. This will allow us to operate the airship commercially.
Globally, we have over 50 pre-commercial agreements with end users for component production and integration. For example, we've partnered with Chantier Chibougamau in Quebec to modernize wood extraction and with Canadian North to reach remote communities. We're also working with federal and Quebec authorities to assess the need for our airship on logistics for mining operations for example. Many mines are in remote areas with limited access, relying on seasonal ice roads that are less accessible year after year due to climate change. Our airships can provide consistent, year-round transport, helping transition to sustainable energy solutions like wind power.
FLYING WHALES experienced delays in France due to concerns from environmental agencies about the negative impact on the region’s natural heritage. What challenges do you anticipate facing setting up operations in Quebec?
Finding the right area for our assembly line is critical. We consider environmental impacts and preliminary studies to assess potential sites and have identified three potential sites in Quebec: near Drummondville, Sherbrooke, and Trois-Rivières. Each site must meet technical characteristics, environmental regulations, cost considerations, manpower availability, etc. Our final assembly line will employ 300 people so we will need to ensure we can hire and train these employees in time for production, which is targeted to start once the airship is certified. We aim to begin commercial operations in North and South America around 2028.
