Thanks in part to electrification, it seems a new seaplane era is on the horizon. Luxury and VIP providers will likely be among the first operators of electric seaplanes, while several small companies, including Horizon Sun Charters, are already demonstrating how traditional seaplanes have found a niche in the travel experience
For a brief few years in the second half of the 1930s, commercial seaplanes epitomised international luxury travel. Pan American Airways’ flew affluent, exclusive clientele across the Atlantic and around the Pacific, while Imperial Airways’ flying boats operated connections between Great Britain, its empire and New York.
After the outbreak of World War II, thousands of bases were built for increasingly long-ranged landplanes flying as bombers, transports and patrol aircraft. Seaplanes also took critical roles, often hunting enemy naval units or flying search and rescue missions, but the post-war glut of cheap military-surplus land transports and proliferation of long runways from which to fly them, left little place for commercial seaplanes post-war. They did not disappear entirely, however. Seaplanes have continued to operate among island nations, on sightseeing trips, special missions and as vital links to isolated populations, especially in Alaska and Canada.
That seaplanes can be operated successfully is exemplified by the example of Horizon Sun Charters. Captain Raymond Schwab founded Horizon Sun Charters in 2015. It serves the Palawan archipelago in the Philippines with a single 1957-built de Havilland Canada Beaver. Horizon’s passengers mostly fly for hotel and island-resort transfers, scenic flights, and private trips around Palawan. The company also offers tailored experiences, which Schwab says are a major part of its business. “We work closely with guests, resorts and travel agencies to create personalised flights: sunset aerial tours, private island picnics, guided visits, multi-stop adventures and direct transfers to yachts. The aircraft and crew are private, so every flight can become a curated experience.”
Two aspects of the operation stand out as potentially at odds with the high-end service Horizon delivers: the Beaver is not a young airframe, and it is utilitarian rather than luxurious. Schwab addresses the aircraft’s age: “Our Beaver is rebuilt, restored and maintained to the highest standards. Many of its components are reconditioned to as-new serviceability, following strict tolerances and approved processes. Operating with a single aircraft requires discipline, strong planning, and excellent maintenance control, but the Beaver is among the most reliable seaplanes ever built.”
Operating any aircraft from water, especially salt water, adds to the care and maintenance requirement and Horizon’s Beaver undergoes rigorous preventative maintenance, while the team manages the entire maintenance programme and component tracking as though it were a larger airline. Horizon also has a staff of approved, Beaver-specialist technicians and an extensive spare parts inventory. “Because we operate in a warm climate on straight floats, we avoid corrosion from retractable gear systems and keep the aircraft mechanically simple – another advantage for reliability,” Schwab adds.
As for luxury, Schwab reckons for many high-net-worth travellers it is less about comfort and more about authentic, meaningful experiences. “The Beaver offers exactly that. It is a legendary bush airplane, designed for adventure and built for environments like Palawan. Many VIPs appreciate the nostalgia of flying in a beautifully maintained classic aircraft on straight floats. And while the aircraft is simple and rugged, the experience we offer is truly premium. Our guests avoid crowded vans, terminals and boat piers. We turn six-hour road and boat journeys into 50-minute scenic transfers and take care of everything, from handling luggage to arranging boats, resort coordination, and private island pick-ups.”
Asked about the sustainability credentials of the Avgas-burning Beaver, Schwab reveals an alternative mindset on the subject. “We prefer to operate a well-maintained, proven aircraft rather than buying a new one. Instead of participating in the modern ‘buy, use, throw away’ cycle, we extend the life of solid, reliable assets. This approach reduces waste, avoids unnecessary manufacturing impact and keeps a legendary aircraft flying safely for decades. In that sense, our operation is environmentally, economically and mechanically sustainable.”
Electric opportunity
Horizon Sun Charters demonstrates that a seaplane service can be run profitably, linking island locations which, while relatively close to one another as the crow – or Beaver – flies are temporally distant. George Alafinov, co-founder and CEO at JEKTA, a Swiss company developing the PHA-ZE 100 electric amphibian, notes that most of the world’s major cities are adjacent to rivers, lakes or coastlines, many of which could support seaplane operations. The infrastructure required to support such operations would be minimal, since no land runway is needed. The snag traditionally has been that seaplanes are too noisy for regular urban operations, but an electric seaplane would be quieter and less polluting.
At this point it is worth clearing up a degree of confusion that has arisen as the industry takes a new interest in seaplanes. A seaplane is any aircraft that can operate to and from water. If it operates on floats, then it is a floatplane, if it has a boat-like hull, then it is a flying boat. A floatplane or flying boat equipped with a wheeled undercarriage that also allows operations from land runways is an amphibian. Returning to Alafinov’s thoughts on urban operations, an electric amphibian would be able to operate from a city centre water body to an airport outside the city, more realistically fulfilling a role that has lately been imagined for eVTOLs.
Eric Lithun, CEO of Norway’s Elfly Group, has made similar observations, but with a focus on Norway’s rugged coastline. Driving between towns on adjacent fjords can take several hours, owing to the need to travel a considerable distance inland before turning back out again towards the coastline. A seaplane capable of lifting off from one fjord, overflying the land in between and alighting in the next fjord could transform two- or three-hour journeys by road into 20 minutes in the air.
Elfly is developing Noemi, an electric amphibious flying boat in the same class as the PHA-ZE 100. The two machines are somewhat different in philosophy and there ought to be a market for both. Interestingly, Alafinov and Lithun, while both pointing to the long-term utility of local connections, believe that the luxury and VIP flying markets are where their aircraft will initially operate.
Thinking about Horizon Sun Charters, if it were not a seaplane operator, then it would inevitably fly helicopters. Bizarrely, that means that in the private aviation world, an electric amphibian is closest to an aircraft like the PC-12 in capacity and a helicopter in operating capability. To avoid confusing the market, Lithun says seaplane operators are Elfly’s first customers. “Seaplane flying is very different to operating a PC-12 and yes, what Noemi can do is closer to a helicopter. And we can do airport to water operations, providing smooth travel all the way to an exclusive resort or superyacht, straight from the airport. We can access city centres and other hard to reach waterside locations. And we are a fixed-wing flying boat, capable of gliding to a water landing in an emergency, a major safety advantage compared to the competing technologies.”
Most commercial seaplanes carrying passengers today are from de Havilland Canada (Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter) and Textron (Cessna Caravan). Of these, the Beaver first flew in 1947, the Otter in 1951, Twin Otter in 1965 and Caravan in 1982. Noemi and the PHA-ZE 100 are not only new seaplane designs, but also next-generation flying boats, the first in decades. They are therefore being schemed for a variety of cabin choices. JEKTA has proposed layouts of varying luxury, including cabin components manufactured from sustainable materials. Like Elfly, it is also ready to build bespoke interiors.
Beyond cabin quality, it is worth considering cabin noise levels, which will be reduced dramatically in an electric seaplane compared to anything flying today. “There would be no need for the headset or earplugs that are normal in seaplanes, for a major upgrade in comfort,” Lithun claims.
For now, range remains the bugbear of all electrically-powered aircraft, at least if it is to be combined with a useful payload. Again, flying connections to luxury resorts and yachts seems to be where an electric seaplane could excel. Lithun explains: “We are targeting a one-hour flight and 100nm operational range. This seems super short, but our analysis of seaplane operations shows we can cover 80% of the missions flown today, maybe more; a seaplane trip is typically 30 to 45 minutes.”
Elfly and JEKTA are generating considerable interest among VIP tour and similar operators. Elfly has orders from or is in dialogue with seaplane operators already flying for Four Seasons, Six Senses, Mandarin Oriental and other resorts. JEKTA, meanwhile, is seeing significant interest in the Gulf region, where potential operators are realising the possibilities of sustainable, quiet amphibious connections between the many waterside hotels and resorts of Dubai and other areas. At the Dubai airshow, for example, JEKTA signed a letter of intent with Tahseen Aviation Services, a full-service UAE air charter innovator, to assess the future potential of multi-purpose amphibious aviation operations in the region.
Back in Palawan, Schwab is expanding the Horizon fleet in mid-2026, when a second seaplane, suitable for training and moving one or two passengers, will be delivered. For now, it will not be electric and neither will Schwab follow the example of Canada’s Harbour Air, which has electrified some of its Beaver fleet with MagniX propulsion units. “Electric propulsion is promising,” he agrees, “especially for short-range flights, but Palawan faces infrastructure challenges including inconsistent grid power, and our operations are spread across remote islands. For now, an electric Beaver would limit our flexibility and range.”
Considering the work going on at Elfly and JEKTA, Schwab enthuses: “Electric flying could one day play a major role in Palawan’s aviation ecosystem and we’re following those developments with great interest. Our long-term vision is to grow a fleet of three or four of the most efficient seaplanes available. The moment the technology matches our operational environment, we will be ready.”