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Hashem Al-Ghaili, biotechnologist and designer: »When people saw the concept, three catastrophes first came to mind: the Hindenburg, the airship that crashed in the 1930s. The Titanic, everyone knows it. And Chernobyl. It seemed to them a combination of three catastrophes."
This is what developer Hashem Al-Ghaili says about his own vision of the future: this huge flying hotel he calls the Sky Cruise Hotel.
Al-Ghaili works as a science facilitator on innovations in the field of energy and artificial intelligence.
He discovered a drawing by designer Tony Holmsten that had been circulating on the internet for eleven years and developed it further: how could the initially unrealistic flying ship work in detail?
Hashem Al-Ghaili, biotechnologist and designer: “A lot has happened in technology in the last eleven years. It could soon become a reality. Innovations in the field of nuclear energy and artificial intelligence, such as the automation of self-driving cars, did not exist a while ago. Now they exist. And they can be applied to self-driving trains and airplanes.”
A core element of his vision: The huge airship should be able to stay in the air for years without having to land - with the help of a small nuclear fusion power plant on board that produces the necessary energy.
Al-Ghaili is convinced that nuclear power is a comparatively safe form of energy production.
Hashem Al-Ghaili, biotechnologist and designer: »When people hear 'nuclear-powered aircraft', they think of Chernobyl, which was fueled by nuclear fission but not nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is safer.
The feedstock fuel is more accessible and the end product does not generate large amounts of nuclear waste.”
In fact, nuclear fusion is promising in theory.
Scientists have been researching this form of energy generation for decades, as here in Great Britain.
But a nuclear fusion reactor that functions as a power plant to generate electricity still does not exist.
Al-Ghaili also admits that there is currently no runway in the world for his flight hotel to take off from because it would be too huge.
With his animation, he nevertheless initiated a discussion on the Internet.
Hashem Al-Ghaili, biotechnologist and designer: “Engineers, who of course have more knowledge of aircraft aerodynamics, have commented on this. They said it was a far-fetched idea. That's fine. Every concept starts with an exaggerated idea. If you only ever tried to orient yourself to reality, we would never have put a man on the moon. The New York Times wrote in 1920 that a rocket would never take off and leave the earth's atmosphere.«
Al-Ghaili is currently working on the concept for an underground airport – and on a science fiction film.
Last but not least, his idea of the Sky Cruise Hotel should enable the dream of floating for months – without the desire to return to earth.
The key to this: luxury entertainment in the central area of the airship.
Hashem Al-Ghaili, biotechnologist and designer: »They do leisure activities up there, go shopping, to restaurants, to the cinema, swimming, do sports in the gym. I think that makes you forget that you're traveling. It's like being teleported from one place to another. And I think this is what the future of travel should look like.«