Business Case Simulation Tool

The AIRSHIP Business Case Simulation Tool is an interactive decision-support model developed within the AIRSHIP project to help stakeholders evaluate the economic feasibility and operational performance of airship-based transport services. The tool allows users to explore different business scenarios by adjusting key operational, financial, and market parameters and instantly observing their impact on profitability, cash flow, and investment returns. Designed for operators, investors, policymakers, and regional authorities, the simulation provides a comprehensive view of how airship transport systems could perform under different market conditions. Users can test assumptions related to fleet size, investment costs, financing conditions, freight and passenger demand, infrastructure requirements, maintenance expenses, and operational utilization.

The model incorporates both freight and passenger transport business cases, enabling users to assess multiple revenue streams. Key indicators such as revenue, costs, net cash position, cumulative revenues, cumulative payments, and profit-and-loss performance are calculated dynamically, helping users understand the long-term economic sustainability of an airship operation.

By simulating different configurations and market conditions, the tool helps identify the critical drivers of business success and supports evidence-based decision-making for future airship deployment. It provides an accessible way to compare alternative operational concepts, estimate investment risks, and understand the economic potential of sustainable airship transportation within emerging logistics and mobility ecosystems.

Developed as part of the AIRSHIP project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, the simulation contributes to the project’s objective of assessing innovative and sustainable airship solutions for freight and passenger transportation.

Among the parameters that can be explored are:

  • Fleet investment and depreciation.
  • Interest rates and financing costs.
  • Number of journeys per day and business days per year.
  • Freight volumes and freight pricing.
  • Passenger capacity and ticket pricing.
  • Port fees and infrastructure investments.
  • Energy consumption and electricity costs.
  • Maintenance, management, and operational overheads.
  • Fleet lifecycle and market ramp-up scenarios.