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This study investigates the physical phenomena that affect a high-altitude airship in the presence of lifting gas losses from the hull. General atmospheric thermodynamics and basic physical principles are adopted to describe the behavior of an airship with envelope failures that generate buoyant gas dispersion or depressurisation phenomena. Overpressure that could grant to maintain some controllability during a large part of the descent is assessed by mean of the thermodynamic model of the envelope in the presence of gas losses. Optimisation of the inflation parameters is provided and the conditions for avoiding dangerous crashes on the ground and the potential recovery of a damaged vehicle, people and its payload. In particular, the requirements for a slow depressurisation is computed by the equilibrium with the atmosphere and then how can it be possible to sustain controlled navigation are determined.

Today it is necessary to face the energetic, environmental, and safety-related issues of a significant industrial sector such as aeronautic one. It is a marginal contributor to today global GHG emissions (less than 3%), In any case, the associated impacts grows with the increase of air traffic with annual rate 5%. Consequently, aviation will need to face four fundamental problems for the future: 1 the overall impact of aviation is expected to grow up to 10÷15% of global GHG emissions by 2050; 2 the emissions of pollutants by commercial aviation affects the fragile atmospheric layers in the low stratosphere; 3 the increasing age of the flying fleet deals with increasing maintenance and safety issues; 4 the dependence on fossil fuels relates to problems of geopolitical instability and consequence volatility of prices. Substantial innovations are expected for both reducing energy consumption and environmental impacts of aviation and reducing the age of the fleets.