New Zeppelin blimp awaits approval

A German company trying to revive the country's Zeppelin tradition hopes to begin its first passenger flights this week, flying in the same area where the first Zeppelin took to the skies a century ago.

Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik is still awaiting final approval from air authorities before the first flight over southern Lake Constance, on the Swiss border.

Its Zeppelin NT blimp carries up to 19 passengers, who will pay 600 marks ($652) for a one-hour cruise.

The Zeppelin era began with the launch of the first airship in 1900, and ended with the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, in which 35 people died.

The new model is filled with nonflammable helium instead of the dangerous hydrogen that doomed the first generation of airships.