Airship

Airships were a type of flying vehicle operated in many different areas of the Matoran Universe, usually for the purpose of transporting cargo.

Metru Nui
Like all Metru Nui forms of transport, the City of Legend's airships were based primarily at the Le-Metru Moto-Hub and operated by skilled, highly-respected Le-Matoran pilots.

Prior to the Great Cataclysm, airships were utilized as one of the primary methods of transportation in Metru Nui, along with the liquid Protodermis canals and the Chute network. The shipments of cargo transported usually included Onu-Metru-bound Rahi, solid Protodermis blocks and tools for use by Po-Metru Carvers, and other bulk items to be carried to points around the city. Passenger airships, however, were never put into use as they would have been much slower and more inefficient than the Chutes and Ussal carts.

Shortly before the Great Cataclysm, travel via airship was strictly prohibited for ordinary Matoran without the authorization of a supervisor.

The Toa Metru Vakama, Nokama and Matau once snuck aboard a cargo airship taking off from Le-Metru during their search for Toa Mangai Lhikan, but also on board were several Vahki Nuurakh. Although the Toa managed to destroy the Vahki, the Dark Hunters Nidhiki and Krekka soon attacked the vessel. Krekka was ejected mid-flight from the Airship using a teleportation Kanoka. With Nidhiki trapped under debris, the Toa departed from the vessel using Vakama's Disk Launcher and Matau's Aero Slicers. The Visorak destroyed all Airships in Le-Metru when they invaded the city. As a result, the Toa Hordika and the Rahaga were forced to seek out the resources needed to build six airships for the purpose of transporting all of the sleeping Matoran of Metru Nui through a rift in the Great Barrier and onward to Mata Nui.

The airships used to transport the Matoran Spheres to Mata Nui were melted down upon arrival, and later used in the construction of the six Koro.

Design and Operation
Airships utilized a complex system of Levitation and Weight-Increase Kanoka Disks. A Le-Matoran pilot controlled pulleys that caused either the Levitation or the Weight-Increase Kanoka Disks to come into contact with the Airship's framework, thus causing the Airship to either rise or fall.

A small portion of a transport Chute, capped at both ends, was built into the back of the Airship. It provided forward thrust when it let a small portion of the Liquid Protodermis that was under high pressure jet out from the back.

Appearances

 * Comic 19: Enemies of Metru Nui
 * Comic 20: Struggle in the Sky
 * Comic 21: Dreams of Darkness (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui
 * BIONICLE Adventures 4: Legends of Metru Nui
 * Comic 23: Vengeance of the Visorak (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows
 * Dark Mirror (Alternate Universe)
 * Mata Nui Saga
 * BIONICLE Encyclopedia (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Encyclopedia: Updated (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Quest for Keetongu (Mentioned Only)

Trivia

 * Toa Metru Vakama, Nokama and Matau were hiding inside an airship when they were attacked by Vahki Nuurakh and Dark Hunters Krekka and Nidhiki.