Zeppelin NT Airships receive FAA Authorization

ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co. KG receives the Type certificate for the Zeppelin NT from the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA. After successful negotiations with Airship Ventures Inc., the maiden flight of the Zeppelin NT sold to Airship Ventures and the FAA Type Certification, the US market is opened for the Zeppelin NT.

The type certification for the Zeppelin NT has been successfully completed. The FAA has issued the type certificate. This type certificate is the basis for the timely start of Zeppelin NT operations in the US. "We received the type certification for one the most important aviation markets in the world," said Thomas Brandt, CEO of ZLT, „this is a further very important step to the North American market." Robert Gritzbach, Chief Engineer of ZLT commented: "An intensive process has been successfully concluded. The FAA has recognized the German-European certification requirements for modern airships in the Zeppelin NT category for commercial passenger transport, in an enduring public hearing process."

Airship Ventures is happy about the on time type certification and is already planning their fleet expansion in the USA. Alex Hall, Airship Ventures CEO, remarked: "We see a market for a further two or three Zeppelin NT airships in the US."

The Zeppelin NT has already conquered Germany and Japan. Its ability to perform multiple applications from passenger flights to various special missions are the convincing factor. Figures got the modern airship displays 13.500 flight hours and over 75.000 passengers since 2001. The newly finished Zeppelin NT (maiden flight on May 21st 2008) shows a number of technical improvements, amongst others are the reduced weight while increasing lift and the near doubling of airframe lifetime.