Interesting idea as we know so much more today versus when the first airships were used. They may be constrained by lifting weight but larger dimension freight is possible and these airships are not as constrained as ships and planes in terms of routes and ports for landing. The speed is a lot slower than planes but can be a lot faster than ships.
"A paper in the journal Energy Conservation and Management published in September posits that just one airship could move 21,000 tons of stuff using almost no energy at all if we used airships to harness the free winds of the jet stream, the narrow band of fast-moving air above the troposphere, where planes fly."
It’s not all plane sailing though as there are some challenges to overcome, but then 30 years ago or so electric vehicles also were not considered practical at all.
See https://onezero.medium.com/planes-are-ruining-the-planet-new-mighty-airships-wont-d8eb39418acc
#environment #airtravel
#^Planes Are Ruining the Planet. New, Mighty Airships Won’t.
Some scientists are serious about resurrecting zeppelins for low-carbon travel