About Spirit of the Emirates

The “Spirit of the Emirates” concept is supported by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid’s Establishment for SME Development, and has since gained support from many regional and international organisations.

With its bold vision to showcase the UAE’s inspirational achievements, and to promote awareness of the community’s role to play in environmental responsibility and sustaining the natural resources we all share, “Spirit of the Emirates” aspires to offer unparalleled eco-friendly adventure tourism experiences.

Capitalising on the UAE’s innate entrepreneurial spirit and our homegrown environmentally friendly methods and technology, “Spirit of the Emirates” is creating a unique tourism proposition, reflecting the nation’s enviable success in economic diversity.

Launching the Spirit of the Emirates Concept

2015, named the “Year of Innovation” by H. H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, saw Captain Khalid Al Ansari formally launch the “Spirit of the Emirates” concept at the Dubai Air Show. In line with “Spirit of the Emirates” overall vision, the project was launched as a national initiative, with the bold ambition to develop the world’s first aircraft – the airship – into an unique and contemporary eco-tourism proposition.

A unique way to explore

“Spirit of the Emirates” combines the iconic Zeppelin airship with cutting-edge technology including augmented reality, to offer passengers an unparalleled aerial adventure experience. Floating almost silently at 1,500ft above the city, the route takes guests on a journey exploring all of the city’s landmarks, allowing passengers to view the wonder of Dubai from a whole new perspective.

To really bring the “Spirit of the Emirates’ airship tour to life, Augmented Reality (AR) is incorporated into the tour experience. Physical, real-world landmarks are augmented by computer-generated visuals and information including sound, video, graphics or GPS data will be a key part of the entertainment and information experience.

All guests will be given hand-held AR consoles with interesting facts about key landmarks and attractions – when the in-built camera is pointed towards a particular landmark, relevant information will be displayed to really enhance the tour experience, and raise awareness of all the ongoing innovations and developments of the Emirate.

On the ground, the “Spirit of the Emirates” terminal and airship museum provides a VIP welcome, and an opportunity to discover more about the heritage of the iconic aircraft.

Discover more about the “Spirit of the Emirates” Experience

Environmental preservation and sustainability

“Spirit of the Emirates” is a futuristic vessel and an eco-friendly way to travel – it produces almost zero noise pollution, low carbon emissions (around a third of traditional fixed-wing aircraft carrying the same payload), and does not require the extensive constructional infrastructure required for airports.

In order to fly, airships depend on physical natural power that lifts the gases, which are lighter than the gases in the atmosphere. Previously, hydrogen gas was used but has been replaced by infinitely safer non-toxic and inflammable helium, and is much lighter than the gases that surround us.



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