article_snippet: But budget cuts doomed the project and HAV bought the airship back across the pond, where budget cuts seemed set to remain on solid ground until British design company Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) received a £3.4 million ($5.1 million) grant from the UK government.
article_snippet: While the concept has been around for nearly a century, airships fell out of fashion following the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, when the craft erupted into flames while trying to dock, killing 36.
article_snippet: While an airship might seem like a craft from a time long passed, an airship has been given a 21st century design overhaul and HAV hopes to have airships back in the skies over the UK by 2016.
article_snippet: Chris Daniels, HAV head of partnerships and communications, said: "The sole problems existing old-style airships had (were) having lots of ground crew, limited ability to carry payloads and to be susceptible to weather conditions.
article_snippet: Showing the versatility in air transport operations the airship could have, Chris Daniels said the charity Oxfam is keen to task the aircraft on aid relief missions following natural disasters, while HAV is in talks with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to help conduct scientific research.
article_snippet: The ability of the airship not to need runways or airports would be very attractive for disaster relief.
article_snippet: Robinson added: "Imagine a large airship being able to land with a medical emergency department on board, right at the scene of the disaster.
article_snippet: Robinson said there had been several "false dawns" in bringing about the return of the airship in previous years, including two military surveillance airship projects from the U.S. Pentagon which were ultimately sidelined "because they weren't confident in the technology.