Imagine a construction site where cranes are replaced by a floating hook, adjustable to the perfect height. Where prefabricated buildings and heavy supplies arrive by air, before being gently lowered into place. And where maintenance in remote or offshore areas could be managed from the sky, all with zero emissions.

This vision underpins the ambitions of a new generation of companies aiming to adapt airships鈥攅ngine-powered, lighter-than-air craft鈥攖o serve as versatile tools for the construction industry.

Airships as floating cranes

鈥淲e鈥檙e removing a roadblock in the logistics challenge of lifting and transporting heavy things,鈥� explains Jeremy Fitton, founder and CEO of SkyLifter, one of several startups seeking investment to develop airships tailored for construction. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e air-lifting more than 20 tonnes vertically, there are no other practical solutions.鈥�

Image: Flying Whales

The advantages of airships in construction are clear. Once inflated, these lighter-than-air vehicles consume minimal fuel, offering an eco-friendly solution for lifting heavy loads in areas that cranes cannot easily access. They also excel in transporting oversized items, like wind turbine blades or prefabricated structures.

Typically filled with helium or hydrogen and propelled by electric motors, airships represent a low-carbon method for transporting and lifting heavy materials. Their minimal reliance on infrastructure, such as airports or extensive road networks, further adds to their appeal. And seeing as airships have been around for a century and a half, there are established regulatory frameworks that mean airships could represent a viable and transformative tool for the construction industry.

For Fitton, this technology has the potential to revolutionize how construction projects are planned and executed.

Changing the economics of construction

鈥淚f you introduce a capability to lift and move oversize or fragile payloads, from and to any location, suddenly that changes the economics of construction,鈥� Fitton says. 鈥淚t frees up the industry to make things even bigger. You can make a roof-truss in a different way because you don鈥檛 have to dismantle it into smaller pieces at manufacture and put it back together again on site. You can make it cheaper because you can make it in one big piece.鈥�

Image: Skylifter

SkyLifter, for instance, has developed prototypes of its flying saucer-shaped airship and is seeking funding to create a larger version capable of lifting up to 2 tonnes.

France-based Flying Whales is further along, having secured 鈧�122 million (US$129 million) in funding two years ago. With backing from the French and Quebecois governments and major firms like Bouygues Construction, the company aims to have its 200-meter-long LCA60T airship operational by 2028, capable of carrying loads up to 60 tonnes. This capacity could simplify projects like power line installations in remote areas, which currently require helicopters to transport pylons piece by piece.

鈥淭he Flying Whales transport solution will allow Eiffage to rethink its organization of construction sites in remote areas, reduce its carbon footprint, improve factory design and optimize logistics preparation and reduce on-site assembly operations,鈥� says Richard Hellstern, sales manager at Eiffage Energie Systemes.

Overcoming historical challenges

Jeremy Fitton, CEO, Skylifter. Photo: Skylifter

Despite these ambitious plans, airships have faced numerous obstacles in the past. While their safety and airworthiness are well established, high costs and competition from faster or cheaper technologies have historically hampered their adoption.

鈥淭he technology is all there,鈥� Fitton says. 鈥淭he reason the skies are empty is not for the sake of the technology or the materials or any of the supply chain. It boils down to the fact that there鈥檚 a disconnect between the way the technology is engineered and the way the customer can possibly adopt it.鈥�

One critical factor that potentially falls in their favour for the future is the need to address strict emissions targets, particularly in sectors like wind energy. As wind turbines grow taller and are placed in increasingly remote areas, there is a pressing need for cost-effective and sustainable solutions. Airships could meet this demand, enabling the transportation of turbine blades and other heavy components efficiently.

A moment of opportunity?

Skeptics may view these promises as more hype than substance, recalling past ventures that ultimately failed to deliver. However, advocates believe the current environmental and logistical challenges facing the industry could finally give airships their moment in the sun. For construction, the question remains: could airships provide the lift the sector needs?