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Spirit of Dubai begins London-Dubai
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London
A pioneering airship adventure, 'The Spirit of
Dubai', will begin a unique journey today from London to Dubai, visiting many
of the world's most famous landmarks on the way.
It is planned that the journey will take in landmarks
including Big Ben, The London Eye and Tower Bridge in London, the iconic
Selfridges building in Birmingham, Stonehenge, the White Cliffs of Dover, the
Eiffel Tower and Versailles in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum
in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
The project marks the handover of the first
residences on The Palm Jumeirah – the world’s newest landmark – with The Spirit
of Dubai due to arrive in Dubai before the end of the year.
Manal Shaheen, director sales, marketing & customer
services said: “The journey of the airship sums up the pioneering spirit of
Dubai and the journey Nakheel has undergone in creating The Palm Jumeirah,
which we believe is the world’s newest landmark. Land reclamation on this size
and scale, and with the complex shape of a palm tree, has never been attempted
let alone achieved. The project that has involved constant innovation and has
overcome a number of unprecedented challenges to create construction history.”
“Little more than five years ago, Nakheel laid the
first grain of sand in the Arabian Gulf and by the end of this year we will be
welcoming our very first residents. To celebrate this achievement we are
delighted to begin our journey in London, home to some of the world’s most
famous landmarks that are an inspiration to all.”
The Spirit of Dubai is the world’s largest commercial
airship and is managed by Airship Management Services (AMS). The Spirit of
Dubai will operate at around 1,500 to 3,000 feet with a cruising speed of
around 30 to 50 mph - the airship can reach speeds of up to 70 mph (or faster,
with a tailwind). While cruising at 30 knots The Spirit of Dubai airship
consumes 8 gallons (48 lbs) of fuel per hour. During a week of operations
The Spirit of Dubai will consume less fuel than a 767 uses to simply move away
from its gate to a runway! -TradeArabia News Service