08.10.2026
Sustainable Air Logistics of Tomorrow
In September, our partners at Kuehne+Nagel brought together around 40 customers, suppliers and partners for Sustainable Air Logistics of Tomorrow. The event explored how new aircraft, cleaner propulsion and airport infrastructure could change the way freight moves.
Our Executive Director, Sales, George Land, joined Florian Frodi, Managing Director at Rain Air Cargo, for a panel titled Enhancing the logistics ecosystem | From autonomous middle-mile to hybrid heavy-lift, to discuss heavy-lift operations and autonomous middle-mile logistics.
For George, a key part of that discussion was how our future aircraft – Airlander Freighter - could move large, bulky freight directly to where it is needed. The ability to carry loads such as ISO containers, combined with short or vertical take-off and landing and only minimal infrastructure required, could open routes that are difficult to serve using conventional freight infrastructure.
What does the future of freight and logistics look like?
We have worked with Kuehne+Nagel for a number of years, looking at the future of freight movement.
Airlander 10 will be our first aircraft to market, but as the technology scales up to Airlander Freighter, so do the opportunities. Its planned specifications include a payload of up to 250 tonnes, 3,000 m³ of cargo volume and a range of 6,500 km, with a target cost of $0.11 per tonne kilometre. Together with the ability to operate point-to-point, these capabilities could offer a new way to move large freight over long distances. Unlocking not just a new aircraft, but a new way to address the challenges faced by today’s logistics and freight industry.