Scottish firm Loch Lomond Seaplanes, the UK's only amphibious air taxi provider, is expanding into the English market through a partnership with private resort, Osea Island.
The operator is hoping the venture – set to launch in May and kick-starting the first seaplane operation in England for more than 60 years – will trigger expansion across the UK and fulfil its long-held ambition to launch a service in the lucrative London market.
“We are so close to getting a foothold in London. This is something we have wanted to do for many years,” says Loch Lomond Seaplanes founder and managing director David West.
Loch Lomond Seaplanes
Under the partnership with Osea, the 12-year-old company will transport guests to the island resort, situated off the UK’s southeast coast, using one of its two nine-seat Cessna 208 Caravans.
“The proving flights are complete and we have just taken delivery of a new Caravan which will be used for this service,” says West, who is also Loch Lomond Seaplanes' chief pilot.
“We are now looking at bases in and around London from where we hope to expand the service. Biggin Hill, Elstree and Farnborough are all possibilities,” he says.
“We would also like to have several water-based landing sites in future, including on the Thames in central London, which would feed the city's businesses and the local tourist industry.”
He believes there is a huge latent demand for seaplane operations in the UK capital, with sightseeing, charter and commuting the key drivers.
Loch Lomond Seaplanes
West appreciates there is much to be done to convince boat operators, as well as the regulators governing aviation and river traffic, that there is enough capacity for a seaplane service on the Thames, and that amphibious aircraft can coexist safely with other users of the waterway.
“We have been in service since 2004 and are highly experienced at landing on rivers and commercial waterways such as the river Clyde in Glasgow,” says West.
Since its launch in 2004, Loch Lomond Seaplanes has carried more than 70,000 scheduled and charter passengers around the west coast of Scotland. The demand for the service remains undiminished and West is confident the UK as a whole will be equally receptive to a seaplane service.
“Loch Lomond Seaplanes has proven what a great market this is. Hopefully we can eventually return to the days flying boats were a regular feature on our shores and waterways,” he says.
Source: Flight International
