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Cargo Airships Are Happening

(www.elidourado.com)
220 points elidourado | 3 comments | 14 Oct 24 16:31 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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fernly ◴[15 Oct 24 04:11 UTC] No.41844873[source]▶
Maybe a smaller issue than wind, but something is wrong with this claim:

"If you can pick up goods directly from a customer on one side and deliver them directly to a customer on the other..."

How do you handle customs inspections and duties on imports? As TFA states, in current air freight, "there is a trucking company, a warehouse, a customs broker..." Freight has to go through the warehouse on arrival in-country so the customs inspectors can look at it and assess duties. The article seems to envision the airship dropping down directly at the destination address, which would be that nation's customs agency's worst nightmare.

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nielsbot ◴[15 Oct 24 04:35 UTC] No.41844985[source]▶
Yeah--I came here to highlight this too. I think all the legacy systems around international shipping won't permit direct to consumer pick up and delivery. Unless someone can show me an existing example?
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1. mmooss ◴[15 Oct 24 04:59 UTC] No.41845098[source]▶
Some international logistics businesses pickup from and ship directly to customers. They are well-practiced in avoiding customs delays and have extensive experience with non-traditional transport, such as semi-submursibles.

Seriously, if a Toyota supplier in Japan delivers parts daily to a factory in Ohio, do they go through regular customs or is there some other arrangement? Can they fly directly to an airfield near the factory?

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2. nevi-me ◴[15 Oct 24 05:16 UTC] No.41845176[source]▶
That feels like a different scenario. Intuitively I would expect some pre-arranged clearance process that is valid for some period to avoid say daily paperwork lodging. Even the inspection process could be streamlined if there's some trust between the authorities and the regularly shipping parties.

It still doesn't address the case where a random small business receives a container full of their latest items from a supplier.

The first thing I funnily thought of with direct-to-customer was narcotics. If countries don't inspect goods coming in (assuming that countries with a risk of narcotics being shipped out have already lost), then it makes for a great muling opportunity, or just wholesale shipment.

3. prmoustache ◴[15 Oct 24 06:11 UTC] No.41845438[source]▶
The facts parts are sent and delivered daily doesn't mean they travel in 1 day.

Frequency != latency