有史以来最大的飞艇是LZ129兴登堡号，这是一艘德国客运飞艇，建于1936年，用于跨大西洋飞行。 兴登堡号在建成后仅14个月，即1937年5月，在现代最壮观和最广为人知的运输事故中起火坠毁，标志着所谓 "飞艇时代 "的结束。

兴登堡号在其运营的一生中，横跨大西洋35次，包括7次往返里约热内卢和10次往返纽约。 最后一次从德国到纽约的旅行以灾难告终，因为这艘世界上最大的飞艇正试图停靠在新泽西州。 虽然这严重损害了飞艇的知名度，但它们在现代已经开始复苏，尽管截至2010年最大的飞艇Bullet 580仍然明显小于兴登堡号。

The largest airship ever made in both length and volume, the Hindenburg had a length of 804 feet (245 m), a width of 135 feet (41 m), and a volume of about seven million cubic feet (200,000 cubic meters). In comparison, the Bullet 580 is about 235 feet (about 71 m) long and 65 feet (about 19 m) in diameter. The Hindenburg was composed of 17 gas cells compartmentalized by cotton coated with an impermeable material that served as a seal, and was filled with flammable hydrogen, which probably contributed to the fire that destroyed it. In total, the world's largest airship had a lift of 1.1 meganewtons, or 247,100 pounds, which was its approximate weight. The craft could carry 90 passengers and crew and had a maximum speed of 80 mph (135 km/h), which allowed it to cross the Atlantic in three days, a record at the time.

Before the Hindenburg, airships had been built for slightly over two centuries, since in 1784 the French Montgolfier brothers built a hot-air balloon and became the first confirmed airship passengers. It wasn't until 1853 that the first full-sized — about 145 feet (44 m) in length — airship was built, which led to the start of the "Golden Age of Airships" in 1900. This was inaugurated by the construction of the LZ 1 Zeppelin, which was the first of the Zeppelins, the most successful class of airships in history. Because heavier-than-air flight was not invented until 1903, and its usage for significant amounts of passengers remained impractical until the development of commercial jet engines in the early 1950s, airships were the world's leader in transporting passengers through the air, until their popularity waned after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.