Airships, called Flying Battleships in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, are objects which first appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. The Airships' designs and sizes vary from game to game, taking the form of either a wooden ship or a metal ship, and they are most commonly equipped with cannons, Bullet Bills and Bob-ombs. Bowser also possesses his own Airship, as seen in New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario Odyssey, where Princess Peach is held captive as she is taken away to Bowser's Castle. Airships have an associated theme that often plays in levels based in airships or scenes involving one.
Airships are large floating fortress ships used by the Koopa Troop in the Super Mario series and other media to attack distant targets from the air or space. They tend to be mounted with numerous cannons, Bill Blasters, and other weaponry, and are heavily occupied by Bowser's forces and Princess Peach is often held captive in Bowser's Airship.
One airship appears in each world (except Dark Land), under the command of one of the seven Koopalings. Completing the airship level and defeating the Koopaling inside signifies the end of that world and allows access to the next. If Mario or Luigi fails to conquer an Airship on the first attempt, it will randomly move somewhere else on the map. However, using an Anchor will prevent this from happening.
A sunken, dilapidated airship from Super Mario Bros. 3, named the Sunken Ghost Ship, appears as one of the levels. The instruction manual suggests it to be one of the airships in Super Mario Bros. 3. The Sunken Ghost Ship is haunted with Boos and filled with water.
There is only one airship, the Rainbow Cruiser, which appears in Rainbow Ride. It features strong winds, and one of the missions, Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow, involves Metal Mario having to withstand the wind and collect the Power Star on the Airship.
Airships, or rather the Rainbow Cruiser, has the same role as in Super Mario 64. An Airship is also featured in a minigame called Bob-omb Squad, in which it flies around and delivers Para-bombs.
Airships do not appear in the main game, although Bob-omb Squad returns as a minigame, along with the Airship in it. There is a unique minigame titled Balloon Racing, where the object is for Yoshi (or his species in multiplayer) to reach the airship hovering above Princess Peach's Castle.
Airships are first seen in the game's intro, where Bowser uses them to storm Princess Peach's Castle and kidnap Princess Peach. However, Airships are only seen in a handful of galaxies. They are first encountered during Good Egg Galaxy's "King Kaliente's Battle Fleet", where a pair of airships are among the obstacles Mario or Luigi must conquer on the way to the fight with King Kaliente. Space Junk Galaxy's "Kamella's Air Attack" takes place almost entirely on airships, as does Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada. Finally, Bowser Jr. is seen keeping Peach in a personal airship during the game's final boss fight, as well as before the Megaleg boss fight.
An airship is used to kidnap Princess Peach once more. Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and/or Yellow Toad spend the game attempting to chase down this airship, and it is seen dropping off a Koopaling at the beginning of each world and escaping at the end. However, in World 4 and World 6, the airship fails to escape in time and can be explored, leading to a fight with Bowser Jr. However, at the end of this fight, the heroes are kicked out of the airship and the chase continues. Finally, at World 8, Mario and friends finally catch up with the airship, and, after one more fight with Bowser Jr., abandon the ship as Kamek whisks Peach away to Bowser's Castle.
The final levels of World 2, World 3, World 4, World 6, World 7Special 2, Special 3, Special 4, and Special 6 each take place on an Airship. All of them involve fighting Boom Boom, Pom Pom, or both of them together. The level does not immediately end after defeating the boss, but instead reveals a Warp Pipe that leads to an area with the Goal Pole. Some of the Airship stages in the Special World are focused on the objective of reaching the end on time, and have optional boss fights
World 5-A takes place on a golden airship similar to the Treasure Ship in Super Mario Bros. 3. It does not have any boss, unlike Airships in previous games of the Super Mario series.
Airships retain their usual role, except this time, at the end of each castle, the Koopalings have an Airship. Although this is not a level, Mario and the others can only battle them in it to end the castle level. Once beaten, the Airship crashes into the ground.
The Armed Forces Pilot career page shows an Airship, depicted with its Super Mario Bros. 3 designed, appearing to be manned by Koopalings while battling Mario.
World 6-1 • World 6-2 • World 6-3 • World 6- • World 6-4 • World 6-5 • World 6-6 • World 6-7 • World 6- • World 6-8 • World 6-9 • World 6-10 • World 6- • World 6-
World 7-1 • World 7-2 • World 7-3 • World 7-4 • World 7-5 • World 7- • World 7- • World 7-6 • World 7-7 • World 7-8 • World 7-9 • World 7- • World 7- • World 7-
Dino Piranha • A Snack of Cosmic Proportions • King Kaliente's Battle Fleet • Dino Piranha Speed Run* • Purple Coin Omelet* • Luigi on the Roof
Honeyhive Galaxy
Bee Mario/Luigi Takes Flight • Trouble on the Tower • Big Bad Bugaboom • Honeyhive Cosmic Mario/Luigi Race* • The Honeyhive's Purple Coins* • Luigi in the Honeyhive Kingdom
Loopdeeloop Galaxy
Surfing 101
Flipswitch Galaxy
Painting the Planet Yellow
Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor
Megaleg's Moon
Sweet Sweet Galaxy
Rocky Road
Space Junk Galaxy
Pull Star Path • Kamella's Airship Attack • Tarantox's Tangled Web • Pull Star Path Speed Run* • Purple Coin Spacewalk* • Yoshi's Unexpected Appearance
Rolling Green Galaxy
Rolling in the Clouds
Battlerock Galaxy
Battlerock Barrage • Breaking into the Battlerock • Topmaniac and the Topman Tribe • Topmaniac's Daredevil Run* • Purple Coins on the Battlerock* • Battlerock's Garbage Dump • Luigi under the Saucer
Hurry-Scurry Galaxy
Shrinking Satellite
Bowser's Star Reactor
The Fiery Stronghold
Sling Pod Galaxy
A Very Sticky Situation
Beach Bowl Galaxy
Sunken Treasure • Passing the Swim Test • The Secret Undersea Cavern • Fast Foes on the Cyclone Stone* • Beachcombing for Purple Coins* • Wall Jumping up Waterfalls
Bubble Breeze Galaxy
Through the Poison Swamp
Ghostly Galaxy
Luigi and the Haunted Mansion • A Very Spooky Sprint • Beware of Bouldergeist • Bouldergeist's Daredevil Run* • Purple Coins in the Bone Pen* • Matter Splatter Mansion
Bunnies in the Wind • The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows • Gusty Garden's Gravity Scramble • Major Burrows's Daredevil Run* • Purple Coins on the Puzzle Cube* • The Golden Chomp
Freezeflame Galaxy
The Frozen Peak of Baron Brrr • Freezeflame's Blistering Core • Hot and Cold Collide • Frosty Cosmic Mario/Luigi Race* •Purple Coins on the Summit* • Conquering the Summit
Dusty Dune Galaxy
Soaring on the Desert Winds • Blasting through the Sand • Sunbaked Sand Castle • Sandblast Speed Run* • Purple Coins in the Desert* • Bullet Bill on Your Back • Treasure of the Pyramid
Honeyclimb Galaxy
Scaling the Sticky Wall
Bowser's Dark Matter Plant
Darkness on the Horizon
Bigmouth Galaxy
Bigmouth's Gold Bait
Gold Leaf Galaxy
Star Bunnies on the Hunt • Cataquack to the Skies • When It Rains, It Pours • Cosmic Mario/Luigi Forest Race* • Purple Coins in the Woods* • The Bell on the Big Tree
Sea Slide Galaxy
Going after Guppy • Faster Than a Speeding Penguin • The Silver Stars of Sea Slide • Underwater Cosmic Mario/Luigi Race* • Purple Coins by the Seaside* • Hurry, He's Hungry
Toy Time Galaxy
Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser • Mario/Luigi Meets Mario • Bouncing Down Cake Lane • Fast Foes of Toy Time* • Luigi's Purple Coins* • The Flipswitch Chain
Bonefin Galaxy
Kingfin's Fearsome Waters
Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor
King Kaliente's Spicy Return
Sand Spiral Galaxy
Choosing a Favorite Snack
Deep Dark Galaxy
The Underground Ghost Ship • Bubble Blastoff • Guppy and the Underground Lake • Ghost Ship Daredevil Run* • Plunder the Purple Coins* • Boo in a Box
Dreadnought Galaxy
Infiltrating the Dreadnought • Dreadnought's Colossal Cannons • Revenge of the Topman Tribe • Topman Tribe Speed Run* • Battlestation's Purple Coins* • Dreadnought's Garbage Dump
Matter Splatter Galaxy
Watch Your Step
Melty Molten Galaxy
The Sinking Lava Spire • Through the Meteor Storm • Fiery Dino Piranha • Lava Spire Daredevil Run* • Red-Hot Purple Coins* • Burning Tide
Missions marked with an asterisk (*) are exclusively available while a Prankster Comet is in orbit. Missions marked with two asterisks (**) are only available when receiving a letter from Mailtoad.
* - Exclusive to New Super Mario Bros. U • ** - Exclusive to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe • *** - Exclusive to New Super Luigi U † - Level before the world