The Apprentice star plans Zeppelin trips

By Tom Derbyshire on February 28, 2008 11:06 AM |

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FED up with your usual route to work and fancy something new? Well, you may soon be travelling 300metres above the Thames on a Zeppelin thanks to entrepreneur and former contender on the BBC’s The Apprentice series, Rory Laing.

He is hoping to bring the 75m airship to London in July, flying passengers from Chelsea Harbour to Canary Wharf.

If all goes to plan it will be the first time a Zeppelin has come to the UK since the 1930s. If it does arrive, though, the airship will only be cruising down the Thames for a month and can hold just 12 passengers at a time, along with two crew.

However, the Zeppelin could run up to 150 flights along the river during the month-long lease.

The exciting news was announced by Ambient Media, which is selling advertising space for the Zeppelin.
Managing director of Ambient Media, Craig Curlionis, told Marketing Week magazine that it would be “one of the most spectacular advertising sites in London”.

He added: “The Zeppelin will be ideal for dominant, confident brands that want to make bold statements to their audiences.”

At the time of The Wharf going to press, the Civil Aviation Authority was unable to confirm that Mr Laing had been given approval to use the airspace over London’s river.

Mr Laing appeared in The Apprentice last year, before being fired by Sir Alan Sugar.

Story written by Rob Virtue
rob.virtue@wharf.co.uk