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Airships to transport personnel, ore for Québec mine

The 10-year, US$850-million agreement between Quest Rare Minerals and Straightline Aviation marks the first use of airships in the mining industry.
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Straighline Aviation will operate Lockheed Martin’s Hybrid airships.

Airships will be used to transport personnel, ore and supplies for a Québec rare earth metals mine, following the signing of an agreement at the Canadian Aerospace Summit this week.

According to a news release, Quest Rare Minerals Ltd. has signed an agreement with Straightline Aviation (SLA) to provide dedicated air services for the transport of ore concentrate, supplies and personnel using Lockheed Martin’s hybrid airships. The airships will provide shuttle transportation between Quest’s Strange Lake complex mine site in northern Québec and Schefferville, a town with a direct rail link to the Port of Sept-Iles.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU), Straightline will operate a fleet of seven of Lockheed Martin’s heavy-lift cargo hybrid airships, the LMH-1. The airships will transport personnel, critical supplies for mine operations, and carry more than 200,000 tonnes of rare earth ore concentrate annually for delivery to Quest’s Bécancour refining facilities.

Rare earth metals are used in high-tech applications such as computers, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, and catalytic converters.

The LMH-1 can land on any surface and has no need for runways. It can carry 20 metric tons of cargo and up to 19 passengers. The aircraft has met standards set out by both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada.

The first commercial deliveries are scheduled in 2019.

Hybrid airships combine the technology of lighter-than-air aircraft with airplanes, helicopters and hovercraft. They are considered an environmentally friendly option to challenges posed by remote mines, such as Strange Lake.

Quest said the arrangement will also benefit regional and Indigenous communities through employment, business opportunities and socioeconomic benefits.

The service agreement represents a value of approximately US$850 million, including fuel costs, over a 10-year period that starts in 2019, with further extensions of up to 20 additional years in line with the current projected life of the mine.