World's largest plane with very cheeky nickname doesn't even need a runway to land

The world's largest aircraft has an incredibly cheeky name and doesn't even need a runway to land. The £60 million "mega airship", known as the "flying bum" because of its unusual shape, will boast double bedrooms and an in-flight bar.

Manufacturers Hybrid Air Vehicles hopes to have a commercial fleet of Airlander 10 flying through the skies by 2029. At 92-metres it will be the biggest aircraft in the world as it aims to revolutionise travel. The manufacturers also believe the aircraft will be able to reach places that are currently "inaccessible to all but helicopters".

That is because the Airlander 10 can take off and land without the use of a runway. They claim it can land on "grass, gravel, sand, marsh, or even water", requiring only "very short" take off and landing distances.

George said: "The aircraft can land in any open space, it doesn't need a paved runway, so all of a sudden you have taken away some of the barriers to entry for the aircraft. You can try out something because you're not committing to millions of dollars of infrastructure."

He added: "You could take that aircraft on a multi-place trip. You could go from the coast of Saudi Arabia in-land to places that are really inaccessible to all but helicopters now and that aircraft at its maximum capacity that can hold 100 people."

George - whose firm bought the design when the project was scrapped by the US military following the end of the Iraq War - welcomed the "flying bum" comparison but told the Mirror he has "personally never seen it."

However head of marketing Hannah Cunningham said a tweaked model that will take commercial flight would be "less bum" than previous models. At present however the firm has no active prototypes, instead it has constructed two prototypes of the passenger cabin that will hang beneath the helium-filled floatation device.

It did once have a test aircraft, which caused traffic jams when it flew over Bedford in August 2016. But it has since been retired from operation.

However that could be about to change as manufacturers HAV have acquired land in Doncaster in order to build the new, improved Airlander 10 within the next 12 to 18 months. The firm then faces a painfully long Civil Aviation Authority that could see the South Yorkshire factory producing two dozen a year from 2030.

The aircraft will see the end of cramped, noisy cabins of commercial planes, says HAV, with the craft said to be a "more comfortable" way to fly. It pops along at 3,000 metres, low enough that it doesn't need air-pressurisation.

And with a top speed of 80mph, it won't have the buzz and rattle of modern jets. But what it lacks for in pace, being six times slower than a Boeing Dreamliner, it makes up for in stamina, boasting the ability to travel 4,000 miles at once.

The Airlander 10 will also be among the most eco-friendly aircraft around, with HAV teaming-up with UK-American firm ZeroAvia to power the aircraft with hydrogen-electric engines. These will reduce the emissions of the Airlander 10 to a tiny fraction, perhaps just 1 or two per cent, of a typical, kerosene-powered commercial plane.

Val Miftakhov, from ZeroAvia , said: "Airlander is another exciting airframe for line-fit for our powertrains as it can open up a whole new market in air travel due to its range, efficiency, and ability to operate from almost anywhere.

"Like ZeroAvia, Hybrid Air Vehicles is an aerospace innovator with exciting manufacturing and growth plans for the UK that can deliver hundreds of well-paid jobs in different regions in the UK."