Chapter 320: Actions from All Countries
The day after the banquet, on May 22, 1912, Australasia officially announced the establishment of the Royal Airship Manufacturing Company, marking the beginning of the international sale of airships.
In addition, the Australasia Royal Airways Company was also established, and before the Olympic Games began, a global route would be set up to facilitate the travel of athletes from around the world to Australasia.
This decision immediately caused the concept of air travel to be eagerly anticipated by many in Europe and America, and it made the Sydney Olympics even more exciting.
Upon reflection, even if athletes didn't perform particularly well in the Games, they could still experience a trip around the world aboard an airship, which didn't sound too bad.
After all, Australasia had declared that during the Sydney Olympics, athletes traveling from around the world to Australasia would receive free airship tickets.
For many countries, this was indeed a grand gesture. After all, an athlete from any country could number in the dozens or even hundreds.
If calculated based on current ticket prices, a round trip airship ticket would cost tens of thousands of pounds, which for the sports departments and associations of various countries was no small expense.
Being able to travel for free significantly increased many countries' enthusiasm to participate in the Olympics.
Since the airship trip to Australasia didn't take much time, after the airship flight announcement, several countries even rushed to sign up for the Olympics.
This was good news for Arthur. If things went as expected, the number of countries and regions participating in the Sydney Olympics would exceed 30, with over 3500 athletes attending.
This scale not only far surpassed the London Olympics four years ago but also greatly exceeded the Stockholm Olympics in history.
As for the costs of transporting these athletes, it actually wasn't much of a burden for Australasia.
After all, Australasia's airline company could enjoy the cost price of the airships, and by using these athletes and the Olympics, it could also advertise the airships and the airline company, achieving a win-win situation.
Arthur had already promised to cover the travel expenses of all athletes coming to the Sydney Olympics and also provide free accommodation and food for them during their stay.
It was simply a matter of replacing ships with airships. This not only greatly reduced the travel time for athletes to come to Australasia but also didn't significantly increase travel costs.
After all, the reason airship tickets were expensive was due to the global circumnavigation buzz and the novelty of this new transportation mode.
The cost of a round-the-world airship trip, including all expenses, should be around ten thousand pounds.
Even if we exclude the various services and food on the airship, simply calculating the ticket price, 58 seats would average 172 pounds per person, enough for the airline company to break even.
With this calculation, even if all athletes traveled on the free airships, the cost of two round trips would only amount to over a million pounds, and selling a few dozen more airships could easily cover the cost.
Furthermore, as the airline company's operations expanded, the profits from the airline alone would more than make up for these expenses.
It's worth noting that, currently, the people who could afford airship tickets were mostly the rich and elite from various countries.
For these social classes, paying over a thousand pounds for an airship ticket was nothing. Efficiency and comfort were their primary concerns.
Airships were definitely faster and far more comfortable than cruise ships.
This meant that, as long as safety was ensured, airlines focusing on airships would become the main competitors in the global air travel industry for years, if not decades, to come.
The vast number of capitalists and elites around the world would easily allow numerous airlines to thrive in the aviation business.
Of course, as the provider of airships, Australasia would earn the most.
Before other countries and companies could produce airships comparable to the AU-3, Australasia would be the absolute leader in the global aviation industry.
It was expected that major European and American countries would quickly catch up with Australasia's airship technology.
Ordinary powers aside, top-tier nations like the UK and Germany would likely catch up with Australasia's airship technology within a few years.
This also meant that the profits from Australasia's airships would last at most a year or two before strong competition from Europe and America would emerge.
But if things developed this way, it was actually in Arthur's expectations.
After all, circumnavigating the world in an airship wasn't as easy or safe as it seemed. If airships were truly this convenient and safe, they would have replaced planes as the mainstream form of air travel long ago.
The famous Hindenburg disaster in history had dealt a devastating blow to the thriving airship industry.
The airships of this era developed more quickly than those in history, so it was possible that a similar incident could happen during one of the upcoming global circumnavigations.
Stepping out of the airship business early would actually be a good thing for Australasia.
After all, if a Hindenburg-like incident happened, not only would they face massive compensation costs, but the government and airline companies would also suffer a loss of prestige.
Especially considering that both the airline and airship companies in Australasia had royal participation, it could even tarnish the royal family's reputation.
Perhaps it was the benefits and value that airships presented that made European and American capitalists eager to get involved. In any case, the following day, at the aviation laboratory, Theodor and European and American capitalists signed orders for over a hundred airships, with the selling price of each airship reaching 75,200 pounds. The total value of all the orders exceeded 8 million pounds.
A preliminary estimate showed that the profit from these orders was around 4 million pounds, which was enough to build two super-dreadnoughts.
Looking at this, Arthur's plan for the global circumnavigation and covering the athletes' travel expenses seemed like a drop in the bucket.
After all, more than a hundred airships wouldn't even come close to meeting the global aviation demand. According to Theodor's estimates, at least a thousand airships would be needed before the global aviation demand would be saturated.
But airships could be damaged, and the cost of inspections, repairs, and replacing various parts would ensure that the aviation laboratory would have steady income for years to come.
Moreover, with Australasia's own airline company in place, the profits in aviation would likely exceed tens of millions of Australian dollars annually.
After this global circumnavigation, both governments and capitalists around the world recognized the potential and value of airships.
In the civilian sector, airships would become the fastest form of transportation, and perhaps even the most popular and trusted way for people to travel the world.
Although the ticket prices for airships were high, those who could freely travel to other countries were definitely not ordinary citizens.
These individuals were either rich or elite, and their spending power far surpassed that of civilians in developed countries.
In the military field, the potential of airships was even greater.
Airships were airborne vehicles capable of reaching anywhere in the world, making them a potential threat for any country.
It's important to note that there were no satellites now, and the only way to detect an enemy attack was through visual observation.
This created an excellent opportunity for airship ambushes, as no country could guarantee that its territory would be free from airship attacks.
Whether for transporting strategic materials or soldiers, the speed and efficiency of airships were of great importance.
Even as pure weapons, airships could carry tens of tons of bombs, posing a serious threat to ground forces and facilities.
Starting at the end of May, European and American countries gradually announced new rounds of research and development for airships.
The UK government urgently allocated funds to domestic airship research institutions and companies, reportedly investing over 2 million pounds in airship research.
Germany was no less eager, with the largest and most advanced airship manufacturing company in Germany, the Zeppelin, receiving government attention and support, along with a sizable investment.
According to German sources, Tsar Nicholas II had also approved the domestic airship development plan in Russia, with an investment reportedly exceeding 500,000 pounds.
The United States, with its vast financial resources, announced assistance for several domestic airship companies, with over 30 million dollars in aid.
Moreover, many American capitalists were involved, and if all went as expected, the next few years would see a surge of airship manufacturing companies emerging in the United States.
Even the Island Nation, having lost British support, was called upon by their emperor to tighten their belts, raising 2 million yen to purchase airships and invest in research.
Countries like France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy also had their own airship purchasing and research plans.
In an instant, whether in the civilian or military fields, the importance of airships had become unparalleled and was recognized by countries around the world.
Among all the countries committing to airship research, the wealthiest by far was the United States.
The US military contacted several domestic airship manufacturing companies, proposing a procurement plan.
The US military required airships with a minimum load capacity of 20 tons and the ability to complete a global circumnavigation.
The US military announced that any airship company that could meet this requirement would be able to order at least fifty airships and establish a long-term partnership.
This wasn't a small amount. If we refer to the selling price of Australasia's airships, fifty airships would be worth over 4 million pounds, and at least a quarter of that would be pure profit.
In other words, as long as they met the US military's requirements, an airship company could earn a guaranteed profit of one million pounds, or five million dollars, which was certainly no small sum.
(End of Chapter)
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