Unpredictable weather and warming temperatures are making winter roads increasingly unreliable, cutting off remote northern communities from essential goods, including food, attendees of the University of Manitoba’s Fields on Wheels Conference heard in late December.
One Winnipeg-based company has an unconventional solution: one that sounds straight from the Roaring ’20s.
Ross Prentice, a logistics expert and the chief executive officer of Buoyant Aircraft Systems International (BASI), thinks its time to revive the concept of airships to address the North’s transportation challenges.
Why it matters: Airships could help northern communities access essential goods as winter roads become increasingly unreliable, one expert argues.
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It’s a technology that most consider old news, with its heyday passed almost a century ago and an unfortunate association with tragedies like the Hindenburg.
But Prentice suggests that modern designs could transform the lives of people in northern regions by providing a year-round, affordable transportation alternative.
“For many northern communities, the challenges they face are just not a reality for us in the south at all,” he said.
In the North, transportation options have far-reaching consequences. Winter roads, which traditionally serve as the backbone for transporting bulk goods to remote communities, are becoming increasingly unreliable due to climate change. Southern regions of Canada have lost approximately 50 per cent of their winter road usage over the past two decades.
It’s the lack of temperature consistency that is part of the problem, Prentice said.
“You’ll get strange amounts of warm weather that create issues for the roads, causing brief closures or limits on weight.” These disruptions make it difficult to get supplies into communities, many of which rely on these seasonal roads to meet their annual needs, he added.
While airplanes are often used as a backup, they come with their own set of limitations.
“Airplanes provide a vital service to the North, but the cost is very, very high,” Prentice said.
Maintenance costs are also steep due to the harsh conditions of northern runways, where gravel damage accelerates wear and tear on aircraft.
This leaves communities grappling with skyrocketing food prices and limited access to essential items.
“Healthy food is expensive and often unavailable,” Prentice said.
It wouldn’t be the first time that an old transportation technology got a second look. In 2023, Cargill headed an initiative to test whether sail-powered sea cargo transport could be given a modern twist. The hope was that wind propulsion could be integrated onto ships to help cut down on fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Airships, Prentice argues, have the benefit of enormous cargo bays and capacity to carry heavy, oversized loads, and thus could deliver everything from construction materials to food supplies at a fraction of the cost of airplanes, albeit not as fast.
“These airships can handle basically anything you’d put on an over-road truck, and more,” Prentice said.
Airship technology has advanced significantly over the past century, with prototypes being developed globally, including in Europe and the United States, Prentice said. BASI is working closely with international partners to accelerate airship deployment in Canada.
“We’re focusing on developing ground handling technology, which is critical for ensuring safe and efficient operations,” Prentice said.
A new take on airships
Central to BASI’s vision is the Buoyant Aircraft Rotating Depot (BARD), a turntable-like system designed to handle airships during cargo transfers, refueling, and ballast adjustments. The system allows airships to rotate with the wind, reducing the risk of damage during loading and unloading operations.
“It’s a safer, more efficient way to handle airships compared to traditional methods,” Prentice said. The BARD system also minimizes land use and can be easily installed near existing infrastructure.
The BARD’s modular design makes it particularly suited for remote locations, where it can be assembled and disassembled as needed, Prentice said, estimating that building a BARD could take three to six months, depending on logistical challenges.
Year-round transportation from airships would enhance food security, reduce housing shortages, and create new economic opportunities, Prentice believes.
“Consistent transportation would allow for business development in the North, which is something we don’t see enough of today,” he said.
Airships could also play a role in addressing Canada’s housing crisis. According to Prentice, remote communities in northern Manitoba have an average of 4.3 people per dwelling – far above the national average of 2.5. Nearly 4,000 new homes are needed in the region to replace aging infrastructure.
“With airships, we could deliver building materials to remote areas that are currently underserved,” Prentice said.
There could also be opportunities to integrate airships into the mining sector. Mines typically ship more than double the weight of materials south than they bring north. Airships could carry essential goods like food and building supplies to northern communities on the way to pick up mining materials, reducing transportation costs for both industries, Prentice said.
BASI is exploring potential pilot projects in Manitoba, with proposed hubs in Norway House and Thompson. Each hub could serve several nearby communities within a 300-kilometre radius, enabling bulk purchasing and shared distribution networks.
“These locations are ideal for testing the technology,” Prentice said.
Thompson, which was a major hub for COVID-19 testing during the pandemic, already has infrastructure that could support airship operations.
Manitoba is also a province with a vested interest in streamlining cargo north. Private and government efforts to recover and grow traffic at the Port of Churchill made headlines last year, including a $60-million federal-provincial investment to get reliable rail service back between The Pas and Churchill.
Prentice is calling on continued government support and investment. Using modern cargo airships to transport freight around the world is an important part of Canada’s future, he said.
Recordings of Prentice’s talk, as well as other Fields on Wheels speakers, will be made available on the University’s website.
