You could call it blue sky thinking but Yemeni engineer Hashem Al-Ghaili hopes his latest vision becomes reality – a giant sky hotel powered by 20 electric engines.
Al-Ghaili recently posted a video on YouTube showcasing the sky hotel called Sky Cruise, which could accommodate 5,000 passengers.
Like something out of the Avengers movies, the futuristic-looking aircraft would be fitted with a small nuclear reactor using “highly controlled fusion reaction to provide the sky hotel with unlimited energy”.
In theory, this means the hotel would never run out of power and could remain suspended in the air for several years.
Talking about what inspired him to come up with the idea, Al-Ghaili told Arabian Business: “I believe the current flying experience has become outdated and it’s time for something new that can make our flight experience more comfortable.
“Hence, I imagined a world where flying from one place to another becomes a joyous experience rather than fighting to leg space.”
He has also a big fan of a movie called Castle in the Sky by Japanese film studio Studio Ghibli which features massive flying ships with people living inside.
He began searching for a 3D model that features a futuristic design of an airplane and found a model by Alexander Tujicov. This was based on an earlier design created several years ago by artists and animator Tony Holmsten.
“I bought the 3D model and decided to animate it. I wrote the script and edited the video to showcase what it could look like in real life.”
Suspended high above the clouds, the sky hotel would feature a large panoramic hall offering 360-degree views of the skies.
A lift would connect the hall to the main entertainment deck, which would be home to shopping malls, sports centres, swimming pools, restaurants, bars and theatres.
Both supplies and passengers would be transported to the hotel by commercial jets, while all maintenance and repairs would also be conducted mid-air.
When asked if he thinks his sky hotel concept would one day be built he said: “Someone once said ‘Anything with enough energy can fly’, and since several countries are working on nuclear fusion energy, I believe it’s a matter of time before powerful nuclear reactors become small enough to fit inside a plane that size.
The UK is one of the top countries working on small nuclear reactors, which are likely to become operational by 2029.
“I believe soon after, we will see massive innovations in all sectors that were limited by the availability of energy,” he added.
His video has had more than 1.5 million views but he admits the Sky Cruise would be “very costly to make and it will be very hard to convince investors to work on it.”
He added: “The aerodynamics of the design requires a lot of research, which is the first step towards making this dream possible.
“I made the design to help trigger the discussion around the idea, so hopefully someone will pick it up and turn it into a reality.”
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