ABC North West Qld reports

The topic is air transport

It happened on Thu 11 Jun 2026 at 10:17am

Flying Whales wants to use big airships to carry goods across Australia

In short, this is about airships

Flying Whales says airships could be in the outback by 2029

But without government help, this plan might not work

What happens next?

Flying Whales wants the government to invest in their company

The government is struggling to pay for roads and trains, so airships could be a solution

Flying Whales is making airships to carry goods to remote areas

The company needs approval from the European Union to start using the airships

The president of Flying Whales wants to make Mount Isa the first base in Australia

He wants the government to invest in the company

The airships will carry big items like wind turbines and containers

Mount Isa is a good place for the base because it's near many projects

The company has already talked to the government about investing

The government in Quebec invested in Flying Whales, and they want the Australian government to do the same

Here is a picture of the airship

The airships are 200 meters long and can carry 60 tonnes of goods

A researcher says airships are a good solution for carrying goods in remote areas

There are not many options for carrying goods in regional Australia

Airships can carry goods without needing roads or trains

The researcher thinks airships could take 27% of the transport market

Airships can carry big items quickly and easily

They can also carry food and other items that need to be delivered quickly

Talks about the airship plan have stopped

The local council signed an agreement with Flying Whales in 2024

The council wants to make Mount Isa an airship hub

The government has met with Flying Whales to talk about investing

But the talks have stopped, and the company is waiting for the government to decide

The deputy premier said the government will keep talking to Flying Whales

The government has a fund to invest in new industries, but Flying Whales didn't get any money

The company didn't meet the requirements for the fund

The government has a set of rules that companies must follow to get money

A researcher says the government hasn't invested enough in transport infrastructure

The government has been using roads instead of trains, which is causing problems

Airships could be a cheaper solution

The researcher thinks airships are a good idea, but they need government help

The government needs to invest in airships to make them work

ABC North West Qld has more news

This happened on Thu 11 Jun 2026 at 10:17am

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