The Goodyear Blimp operating in Europe will be a Zeppelin NT airship, operated by Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH of Friedrichshafen, Germany.
This marks the latest chapter in an almost 100-year relationship between Goodyear and Zeppelin.
The semi-rigid Zeppelin NT airship measures over 75m in length – nearly three quarters the length of a soccer field – and almost 18m in height. It is the same model airship as the three Goodyear Blimps operated by Goodyear in the United States.
The Goodyear Blimp will fly in the Friedrichshafen, Germany area and more widely around Germany over the coming weeks and is ultimately planned to provide aerial coverage of some of the major remaining European races of the 2020 motorsports calendar.
March 1972, first Goodyear Blimp flight in Europe
Goodyear Blimp first arrived in Europe in March 1972, making its maiden flight in June that year in Cardington, England.
Christened ‘Europa,’ the famous airship took to the skies over Europe over the subsequent 14 years, visiting Italy, France, Belgium, Scotland and the Netherlands and appearing at a number of prominent sporting and cultural events, including the 1985 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the 1986 French Open at Rolland Garros and even two British royal weddings, before being retired in 1986.
The Goodyear Blimp returned to tour Europe in subsequent years; however, now is the first time the Goodyear Blimp has flown in Europe since 2012.
