A partnership between electric seaglider manufacturer, REGENT, and regional air mobility platform, Surf Air Mobility, is set to bring all-electric seaglider operations to South Florida. The partnership, announced Oct. 12, will establish a hub in Miami providing passenger transport service routes from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and the Caribbean Islands.
According to the announcement, nine million passengers travel through South Florida each year via various modes—air, ferry, rail and car. REGENT’s Viceroy Seaglider operates as a boat, hydrofoil or aircraft in ground effect and the company says it expects to carry 1.5 million passengers a year.
“REGENT seagliders are a great solution to the growing transportation needs of residents and visitors in Miami and South Florida,” said Stan Little, CEO of Surf Air Mobility.
“By leveraging our platform at Surf Air to bring new, electrified transportation to market, we believe REGENT seagliders can unlock new routes along Florida’s coastal corridors that complement our existing service networks and furthers our commitment to operating an electrified fleet.”As part of its plan, REGENT will deliver Viceroy seagliders to Mokulele Airlines—a subsidiary of Southern Airways, which was recently purchased by Surf Air Mobility. The seaglider aircraft can accommodate 12 passengers and can cover distances of up to 160 nautical miles, with a cruise speed of 160 knots. REGENT expects the electric seaglider to enter service in 2025.
This story originally appeared on AvWeb.
