According to the Teikoku Databank website, the Nippon Airship Corporation, which operated a Zeppelin NT airship on sightseeing flights over Japan, has filed for bankruptcy protection and ceased flight operations. (Read the article in English via Google Translate.)
We first learned this news from the eZep blog run by Dieter Leder, an internationally respected expert on zeppelin mail. Hat tip to Dieter for sharing the news.
Update: July 11, 2010:
Thanks to Paul Adams of Airship Research, Inc. for sharing a link to this very sad video of the ship being taken apart:
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Sorry. It was a mistake the one I saw flying is a LIGHT SHIP A-60+.
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The zeppelin NT SN 02 is flying again oin the japanese sky, now owned by an insurance company
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I think that’s a good point ZZ. Once the initial thrill of flying in anything wears off a bit, you have to look out the window!
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Very sad video from YouTube of the ship being taken apart in the field:
http://youtu.be/PfGAnLAXpu8
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Hi folks,
According to the latest press they went bust owing 15 million dollars. The second hand zeppelin only cost 6 million, so this type of high tech airship seems to be too expensive to operate. They previously operated a Skyship for many years and made a profit.
Regards JB (www.airshipblimp.com & LTA comedy site http://www.airship.me)
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Quite honestly, this doesn’t surprise me. I missed this news, but the prices they were charging were outrageous – if they couldn’t fill the flights, I’m not surprised. The operating field was way out in the sticks – not at all convenient – and the Of course, the cost of land is higher than in other areas, and the insurance was probably astronomical (Japanese bean-counters, faced with the unfamiliar, tend to build in crazy safety margins on insurance premiums, etc.).
I’m lucky – I saw this airship really close up and personal as she flew over our house in January, and have seen her a a couple of times over Tokyo this year, as well as over Yokohama (photos at: http://hughashton.smugmug.com/Airplanes/Airship-Zeppelin/12461924_CfTzt#892555962_eFAeq ). I think that bad management allied to poor timing has been the problem here. Sad.
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I lived in Japan for several years, and my career was in aviation, so I’ve spent many hours flying over that country. To be honest, there’s just not that much interesting to see. Lots of big drab cities and factories.
Lots of mountains too, but those are WAY to windy to fly over in an airship.
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