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Cargo Airships Are Happening

(www.elidourado.com)
220 points elidourado | 2 comments | 14 Oct 24 16:31 UTC | HN request time: 0s | 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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mr_toad ◴[15 Oct 24 04:39 UTC] No.41844998[source]▶
> How do you handle customs inspections and duties on imports?

Probably no different from private airfields, you have to file customs paperwork before arriving, and they can send inspectors out.

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bilbo0s ◴[15 Oct 24 13:20 UTC] No.41848296[source]▶
Not quite how it works. (At least, not in the US).

Firstly, not just any FBO is a point of entry.

Which brings us to the second point, the entire reason for designated points of entry is so that the customs officials can be on site already. As in, assigned to that FBO. Now at times specialists have to be sent out. (Think exotic or rare animals or biological/agricultural products.) But if that happens, your freight, and maybe even you, are quarantined and your freight isn't going anywhere any time soon. Believe me.

Most important, and relevant in this context is the third issue. Which is the fact that arrivals are met by customs officials and passengers and cargo are always subject to the same inspections/regulations as they are at any commercial airport.

So the original question is valid, how are they handling customs at the scale they're hoping to achieve in a fashion any faster than anyone else?

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1. pistoleer ◴[15 Oct 24 13:24 UTC] No.41848331[source]▶
FBO = fixed base operator = private jet terminal or service provider at airports that caters to general aviation (non-commercial) flights. FBOs provide services like fueling, hangar space, and sometimes even customs clearance for international flights.
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2. conductr ◴[15 Oct 24 14:19 UTC] No.41848902[source]▶
So they build operate their own airship FBOs? Honestly seems like the smaller hurdle to jump if all the engineering problems are solved, they will find a way to navigate this too. It’s a bit naive to assume they will comply with existing constraints versus defining what the airship industry would need. They won’t roll this out globally on day one, the largest and most obviously profitable areas will be source/destinations are probably easy to guess. They could even do their proof of concept it less regulated markets before coming to the US later. Plenty of room to solve these problems later.