The furthest-advanced of the new airship companies, a German-American firm called CargoLifter, is planning a 260-metre-long airship that is intended to lift goods, not passengers.

ECONOMIST: Pushing the envelope

And the business of the airfield's new owner, CargoLifter, is the development of giant airships, a means of transport few have taken seriously since the Hindenburg went up in flames in 1937.

ECONOMIST: Developing giant airships: Big birds | The

CargoLifter's plans, however, are the most monumental.

ECONOMIST: Developing giant airships: Big birds | The