The government approval process is like an airship, slow and cumbersome.

airship 由 air（空气）和 ship（船）组成，字面意思是"空中飞船"，指依靠气体浮力飞行的飞行器，特点是体积大、速度慢。这里用作比喻，形容审批流程像飞艇一样缓慢笨重。