Outback airship hub push uncertain as talks stall

Mount Isa, a city in Outback Queensland, is being considered as the first Australian base for a French-Canadian company's ambitious airship cargo project. Flying Whales plans to use its carbon-neutral LCA60T airships, each capable of carrying 60 tonnes, to transport large items like wind turbines and transmission line components to remote or infrastructure-challenged areas.

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We're going to transport wind turbines, blades, high voltage towers, containers in remote areas or wherever the infrastructure is congested or difficult.

Company president Sébastien Bougon hopes to establish six bases across Australia by 2029, with Mount Isa as the first. He is seeking minority shareholder investment from the Queensland and federal governments, similar to how the Quebec government backed the company's North American operations. The company is awaiting European Union Aviation Safety Authority certification before applying to Australian regulators.

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Mount Isa could be our very first base in Australia and the Asia-Pacific … there are a lot of projects like CopperString [transmission line], and it's kind of halfway from Brisbane to Darwin.

While the concept may seem futuristic, experts like former University of Sydney researcher Craig Neal see practical benefits. Airships offer an alternative to expensive and limited freight options in regional Australia, reducing the need for extensive point-to-point infrastructure. Neal's research suggests airships could capture 27% of the transport market, revolutionizing infrastructure projects and potentially speeding up delivery of time-sensitive goods.

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We have developed the engineering. What we would like to see from the state and federal governments is [for them] to become a [minority] shareholder alongside the French government and Canadian government.

The local council signed a memorandum of understanding with Flying Whales in 2024, aiming to drive investment after the closure of a major copper mine. However, the project's success hinges on critical public and government backing, with current talks reportedly stalled.

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Across regional Australia, in the freight space, options are limited and expensive.