| Autumn 1988 | First thoughts are made about whether reviving the Zeppelin airships would be technologically and economically profitable. In light of this, the documentation of historic Zeppelin airship aviation, stored in the archive of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, is evaluated, and the effectiveness of current airship projects is studied. |
| December 1990 | A feasability study and a market survey discuss technical possibilities, construction costs, and subsequent operation of modern Zeppelin airships. The first matrix shows a sales potential of around 80 Zeppelin airships in the sectors tourism, advertisement, and special scientific missions. |
| March 1991 | The proof on concept is elaborated. The remote-controlled test model weighs 20 kg (44 lbs) at a length of 10 m (33 ft) and is powered by three electric motors. It reveals excellent flight characteristics during the very first test flight. It shows that the basic concept of a rigid structure in combination with the newly designed swivelling propellers fixed to it guarantee highest safety and so far unmatched manoeuvrability. |
| Summer 1991 | The development team files and receives several patents worldwide. These patents include, amongst others, the triangle structure, the arrangement of the propellers, the ballonet design, and the carbon-fiber girders. |
| September 1993 | Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH (today ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co KG), based in Friedrichshafen, is founded. It is connected to the former Zeppelin airshipbuilding under common law and handles the development and production of Zeppelins of New Technology. Main shareholders of the company are Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, Zeppelin GmbH, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, and ZF-Lemförder Metallwaren AG. |
| Spring 1994 | Preparatory studies for the prototype are in full swing. The rigid 75 m (246 ft) long and 14 m (56 ft) high structure is assembled in the new exhibition hall 10. For this purpose, this hall was specifically constructed 4 m (13 ft) higher than needed for regular use for exhibitions. |
| September 1995 | The construction regulations for airships capable of transporting more than 9 passengers, conjointly developed with the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Office for Civil Aeronautics), are approved. |
| November 1995 | Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH is officially acknowledged as development company by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics) in Brunswick. |
| July 1996 | The LZ N07 prototype under construction is presented to the public and the media for the first time, raising great attention. |
| September 1997 | Approximately 30,000 curious onlookers watch the Zeppelin’s maiden flight on 18 September. At 19:47, the Zeppelin NT 07 demasts in front of exhibition hall 10 in Friedrichshafen and lands after a 40-minute flight in front of the new Zeppelin hangar in Allmannsweiler. This hangar is the largest in Southern Germany, measuring 110 m (361 ft) in length, 69 m (226 ft) in width, and 32 m (105 ft) in height. |
| August 1998 | On August 8, the Zeppelin NT 07 performs its first anchoring outside of Friedrichshafen. The airhsip accomplishes a cross-country flight via Altenrhein (Switzerland) to Echterdingen near Stuttgart (Germany). The Zeppelin NT 07 landed at Stuttgart Airport. |
| May 1999 | The production of the parts for the first serial airship starts. The first flight is expected for the end of 2000. The prototype’s technical design has proven itself and can be applied to the serial airship without major modifications. |
| October 1999 | The Zeppelin NT 07 accomplishes its so far longest distance flight of more than 680km (423miles). The route leads the ship to Switzerland past the cities of Weil am Rhein, Basel, and Bern, with its turning point in Neuchâtel. The flight is for a good cause: the airship transports 15 kg (33 lb) of Zeppelin collectors' mail for the Pestalozzi Children’s Village in Wahlwies. |
| February 2000 | The support structure of the first serial airship is completely assembled in February 2000. The envelope is applied to the support structure in May of the same year. |
| July 2000 | On 2 July, Count Zeppelin’s granddaughter, Elisabeth Veil, christens the Zeppelin NT 07 prototype “Friedrichshafen” on the occasion of Zeppelin’s centennial. |
| August 2000 | The Zeppelin NT 07 returns from its big tour through Germany. In its course, the airship conducted test flights between 13 July and 1 August, and travelled more than 3,600 km (2,237 miles) in about 75 flight hours. Highlight of this tour was the visit of the EXPO at Hanover on 21 July. The test programme included noise level measurements, avionic tests, and take-offs and landings. Here, the Zeppelin NT demonstrated excellent manoeuvrability on the North Sea coast in winds of up to 50 km/h (27 kts). |
| October 2000 | The development and production company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik (ZLT) aspires an expansion of its business area. It will be an active part in the commercial launch of the Zeppelins of New Technology as the operating company “Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei” (DZR). The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei will not only be the expertise and service centre concerning the airship, but also manage the flight operations and pilot training. |
| December 2000 | The Zeppelin NT 07 prototype has accumulated more than 800 flight hours in about 220 flights. The official test flight programme has successfully been completed. The flight data collected during three years is being processed. |
| January 2001 | The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei is founded as the operating company of the Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH. |
| April 2001 | The Zeppelin NT 07 receives the type certification by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics). The ceremonial handing over of the certificate takes place during the inauguration of the “AERO 2001” on 26 April at Friedrichshafen. In addition, the Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH receives the certification as airship-manufacturing company. |
| May 2001 | On 19 May, the second airship takes off at 10:25 for its first flight. Pilots Fritz Günther and Dominique Manière conduct several tests with the new Zeppelin airship during their 2.5 hours long commissioning test flight. |
| June 2001 | A spectacular transfer of Zeppelin collectors' mail from the Zeppelin NT 07 prototype “Friedrichshafen” to the Lake Constance passenger ship “Graf Zeppelin” is conducted on 2 June. Albeit the bad weather conditions with gusty winds of up to 20 knots, a mailbag is placed exactly on the passenger deck of the motor boat. |
| August 2001 | On 10 August, His Royal Highness Carl, Duke of Württemberg christens the first serial airship “Bodensee”, raising great media attention. |
| August 2001 | On 14 August, the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei receives the certification as operating company by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics). Thus, commercial passenger service consisting of 1-hour sightseeing flights over Lake Constance can be picked up the very next day. Since then, up to 10 sightseeing flights over eastern or western Lake Constance are offered on a daily basis. |
| May 2002 | The “Bodensee“ visits the International Aerospace Exhibition and Conferences in Berlin, using this first external deployment for passenger flights ex Berlin Tempelhof over the federal capital of Germany. |
| August 2002 | Successful deployments in Berlin and at the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Exhibition) in Stuttgart dragged a lot of attention on the Zeppelin NT 07 and led to a huge demand for flight tickets. After just one year of passenger operations and only eight months of operating, the 10,000th passenger is welcomed on board. |
| February 2003 | The second serial airship takes off for its maiden flight on 8 February. |
| March 2003 | The 2003 season is inaugurated for the first time with two Zeppelin airships certified for commercial flight operations. |
| April 2003 | The Zeppelin airship “Bodensee“ offers sightseeing flights ex Freiburg for the first time. More than 1000 passengers take their chance within three weeks. |
| May 2003 | The Zeppelin NT 07 receives certification for night flights under visual flight rules (VFR). |
| June 2003 | The Zeppelin NT 07 flies to Thuringia for the first time. More than 400 passengers ride in the airship on one weekend during the "Day of Environment“ at the Wismut GmbH in Gera. |
| July 2003 | The Zeppelin NT 07 visits the city of Bad Homburg 90 years after the first imperial airship parade in that city. Approximately 1300 passengers ride in the airship ex Kronenhof. |
| September 2003 | The Zeppelin airship flies above the Bavarian capital of Munich during the Oktoberfest. 700 passengers take their chance to ride in a Zeppelin airship above the biggest folk festival of the world. |
| October 2003 | The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei upgrades the flight plan with three new destinations: apart from Ravensburg and Salem, the fairy-tale castle Neuschwanstein is included. |
| December 2003 | 7 December marks the end of the flight season of 2003. More than 17,000 passengers flew with the two world's state-of-the-art airships this year. |
| March 2004 | The ZLT sells one Zeppelin NT 07 to the Japanese airship operator Nippon Airship Corporation. The sales contract is signed at Friedrichshafen on 2 March. |
| March 2004 | The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei is the first company in the world to receive a certification as flight school for airships. |
| March 2004 | The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei trains the ground crew and pilots of the Nippon Airship Corporation for airship operation in Japan. |
| May 2004 | The Zeppelin NT 07 commences its 2-month promotion campaign through Eastern Europe on behalf of BMW AG. The biggest flying billboard of the world announces the market launch of the BMW 1 series, in Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Hungary. |
| June 2004 | The Zeppelin airship bought by Nippon Airship Corporation is delivered in the course of a ceremonial act on 12 June. The ceremony is attended by numerous celebrities of all sectors and raises great media attention. |
| September 2004 | The Zeppelin NT 07 cruises above seven cities of Hesse on behalf of Hesse radio station “Hitradio FFH” for almost two months, raising great attention with passenger flights and events on the ground. |
| November 2004 | The flight season 2004 ends at the end of November. A total of 39,000 have ridden in the Zeppelin NT 07 by that time. |
| January 2005 | On 14 January, the Zeppelin NT 07 sold to the Japanese Nippon Airship Corporation takes off at the port city of Kobe for its first flight in the Far East. |
| June 2005 | The Sofema Groupe equips the Zeppelin NT 07 with an observation system of the “Wescam” company on the occasion of the Aeronautical Fair at “Le Bourget”, chartering the airship for 2 weeks for demonstration purposes in Paris. |
| June 2005 | The Zeppelin NT 07 is chartered as flying billboard by the sponsor MasterCard during the Confederations Cup 2005. |
| July 2005 | Hesse commercial broadcaster "Hitradio FFH" wins the so-called Academy Award for Radio Stations by deploying the Zeppelin NT 07. In September, the Zeppelin NT07 cruises over Hesse broadcasting 50,000 top hits in total. |
| July 2005 | DeBeers and Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik sign a treaty called “Diamonds for development in Africa”, a diamond project in Africa with a duration of two years. The revenue will be used to support programmes creating social benefits, like health care or transport and education facilities. |
| August 2005 | The Zeppelin NT 07 is used for traffic supervision by the DLR (German Aerospace Center) and the police of Cologne during the World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne. |
| August 2005 | An international researchers association including universities and research facilities is founded with priorities in the regions of Baden-Wurttemberg and Brandenburg, based on the know-how achieved during flights with the Zeppelin NT and on the scientific results obtained during the CargoLifter programme. |
January 2006 |
The construction of another Zeppelin NT 07 airship in Friedrichshafen has been approved. The fourth airship will be operated commercially starting from flight season 2008. |
| June 2006 | The Zeppelin NT 07 is deployed by the DLR (German Aerospace Center) during the Soccer World Cup events in Cologne for capturing and processing traffic data. |
| August 2006 | After 5 years of passenger operations, the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei has transported more than 55,000 passengers. |
| April 2007 | This year, the 2,600 m² (27,986 ft²) large envelope serves as object of art: from April to mid of August 2007, world-famous artist Stefan Szczesny transforms the Zeppelin NT 07 into a flying work of art. The motto of this conjoint project with the island of Mainau:"A dream of an earthly paradise." |
| July 2007 | In summer 2007, the Institute for Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere at the Research Center of Jülich conducts climatological measurement flights in the lower planetary boundary. Especially for this event, a top platform for the Zeppelin NT 07 is constructed. |