Discover our guide to seaplanes — what are seaplanes, what are they used for, and how do you book seaplane flights?
Find out more about some of the most popular seaplane operators around the world.
A full list of all seaplane operators can also be found below.
INDIA
SpiceJet is the largest regional airline operating in India. In 2020, the airline received approval to begin operating 18 seaplane routes. The seaplanes are set to improve regional connectivity. The short flights will be operated through the airline's subsidiary, Spice Shuttle using Twin Otter 300 seaplanes.
Canadá
Offering seaplane flights in and around Canada, this chartered flight tour service is based in Richmond. Key destinations include Vancouver, Comox and the Gulf Islands.
This chartered airline, founded in 1997, offers seaplane flights from Pickle Lake.
ALASKA
This airline offers both commuter flights and seaplane flights to the region of Southeast Alaska. They fly to many destinations including Skagway, Tenakee Springs and Kake from its base in Juneau.
WASHINTON
This airline offers seaplane flights, among other land plane services, from its base in Kenmore, Washington, USA.
PUERTO RICO
Seaborne offers seaplane flights to destinations in the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St Kitts Nevis, Dominican Republic and St Maarten.
Grecia
A proposed start-up airline, Athens Spirit is a Greek Airline which is expected to offer charter passenger and passenger flights. In the future, they also hope to operate seaplane and helicopter flights.
SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
This seaplane tour operator offers flights around the Loch Lomond area. This airline is featured as something to do in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs in our blog about the best National Parks in the UK.
AIRLINE | País |
---|---|
Air Whitsunday | Australia |
Seair Pacific | Australia |
Salt Air | New Zealand |
Samaritan Aviation | Papua New Guinea |
AIRLINE | País |
---|---|
Air Tindi | Canadá |
Alkan Air | Canadá |
Conair Group | Canadá |
Corilair | Canadá |
Harbour Air Seaplanes | Canadá |
Kenn Borek Air | Canadá |
Nakina Air Service | Canadá |
North-Wright Airways | Canadá |
Northwestern Air | Canadá |
Pacific Seaplanes | Canadá |
Salt Spring Air | Canadá |
Sea To Sky Air | Canadá |
Seair Seaplanes | Canadá |
Summit Air | Canadá |
Superior Airways | Canadá |
Tofino Air | Canadá |
Transwest Air | Canadá |
Vancouver Island Air | Canadá |
Wilderness Seaplanes | Canadá |
Alaska Seaplanes | Estados Unidos |
Kenmore Air | Estados Unidos |
Seaborne Airlines | Estados Unidos |
Tailwind Air Service | Estados Unidos |
Taquan Air | Estados Unidos |
Tropic Ocean Air | Estados Unidos |
Tropic Ocean Airways | Estados Unidos |
Northwest Seaplane | Estados Unidos |
AIRLINE | País |
---|---|
Fly Lapland Oy | Finland |
Hellenic Seaplanes | Grecia |
Isla Air Express | Spain |
Loch Lomond Seaplanes | Reino Unido |
Seawings Venice | Italia |
Scandinavian Skies AS | Noruega |
AIRLINE | País |
---|---|
Pacific Island Air | Fiji |
Waterfront Air | Hong Kong |
SpiceJet | India |
Jal Hans | India |
Kerala Seaplane | India |
Maldivian | Maldives |
Trans Maldivian Airways | Maldives |
Air Juan | Filipinas |
Subic Seaplane | Filipinas |
Millennium Airlines | Sri Lanka |
Seawings | Emiratos Árabes Unidos |
A seaplane is a type of aircraft that can land and take off on water as well as float on water - this can be either the sea or a lake. The seaplane was first built in 1911 for the First World War. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories, which is based on their technological characteristics: floatplanes and flying boats. Flying boats tend to be larger and carry more passengers/cargo. A floatplane is similar, but is usually smaller and it's belly is used as a pontoon or floats.
Many civilian flight operators have a floatplane variant for commercial flights , as well as private charter operators, as the aircraft provide an easier transportation option to scenic tourist lakes and other remote areas. Seaplane operators can be found in areas with a large number of lakes convenient for takeoff and landing, such as the Alaskan and Canadian wilderness in North America, and Scotland in the U.k Examples of Seaplane airline companies include Alaska Seaplanes and Harbour Air Seaplanes.
Seaplanes float, take-off and land on water through a wide range of structural components. These help them to remain buoyant, stable on water and reduce drag when landing on the water surface. They are also built in a way to prevent flipping or tipping over in the water.
Alternative Airlines is an online flight search and booking website, which makes it easy to book flights on over 600 global airlines, including airlines operating seaplane flights. Simply type in your chosen departure and arrival destinations into the search-bar at the top of the page to begin your search.
Some popular destinations that Seaplanes fly to include:
Angoon, Comox Harbour, Downtown Vancouver, Downtown Victoria, Egmont, Elfin-Cove, Excursion Inlet, Ganges Harbour, Gustavus, Haines, Hoonah, Juneau, Kake, Klawock, Madeira Park, Maple Bay, Nanaimo Harbour, Pelican, Pitt Meadows, Sechelt, Seattle, Sitka, Skagway, South Vancouver, Tenakee Springs, Tofino Harbour, Whistler, Whitehorse
Yes, seaplanes are as safe if not safer than any other aircraft used for commercial use. Seaplanes go under regular maintenance to the highest of standards. Additionally, seaplane pilots require more advanced piloting skills than regular pilots do in order to qualify for flying.
Some seaplanes are only able to take off on land and land on water - especially 'floatplanes', which are particularly adapted to exclusively land on water. While others have additional landing gear built into the aircraft which makes it possible land on land. There are also a number of seaplanes that can take off and land both on land and water. Airlines that operate scheduled passenger flights might have planes that can both land on land in water, as this is more suitable for commercial flights
Seaplanes have the ability to land on any body of water. If you were to be flying privately, whether you're legally allowed to land on a specific body of water will depend on the rules of the territory you're landing in, and whether the land is privately owned. Most operators will fly to lates, as large waves and unpredictable weather can be a problem, making it harder to land on the sea.