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Seaplane Flights

Discover our guide to seaplanes — what are seaplanes, what are they used for, and how do you book seaplane flights?

Which companies offer 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.

ASIA

INDIA

SpiceJet

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.

NORTH AMERICA

CANADA

Harbour Air Seaplanes

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.

North Star Air

This chartered airline, founded in 1997, offers seaplane flights from Pickle Lake.

ALASKA

Alaska Seaplanes

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

Kenmore Air

This airline offers seaplane flights, among other land plane services, from its base in Kenmore, Washington, USA.

SOUTH AMERICA

PUERTO RICO

Seaborne Airlines

Seaborne offers seaplane flights to destinations in the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St Kitts Nevis, Dominican Republic and St Maarten.

EUROPE

GREECE

Athens Spirit Airlines

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

Loch Lomond Seaplanes

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.

Nordic Seaplanes

Nordic Seaplanes is a Danish airline that operates seaplane flights between Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark. Nordic Seaplanes uses two DHC-6 Twin Otter aircrafts to operate its flights, but hopes to use electric seaplanes in the future.

All seaplane companies

Oceania

AIRLINE COUNTRY
Air Whitsunday Australia
Seair Pacific Australia
Salt Air New Zealand
Samaritan Aviation Papua New Guinea

North America

AIRLINE COUNTRY
Air Tindi Canada
Alkan Air Canada
Conair Group Canada
Corilair Canada
Harbour Air Seaplanes Canada
Kenn Borek Air Canada
Nakina Air Service Canada
North-Wright Airways Canada
Northwestern Air Canada
Pacific Seaplanes Canada
Salt Spring Air Canada
Sea To Sky Air Canada
Seair Seaplanes Canada
Summit Air Canada
Superior Airways Canada
Tofino Air Canada
Transwest Air Canada
Vancouver Island Air Canada
Wilderness Seaplanes Canada
Rambler Air United States
Alaska Seaplanes United States
Kenmore Air United States
Seaborne Airlines United States
Tailwind Air Service United States
Taquan Air United States
Tropic Ocean Air United States
Tropic Ocean Airways United States
Northwest Seaplane United States

Europe

AIRLINE COUNTRY
Fly Lapland Oy Finland
Hellenic Seaplanes Greece
Isla Air Express Spain
Loch Lomond Seaplanes United Kingdom
Seawings Venice Italy
Scandinavian Skies AS Norway

Asia & the Middle East

AIRLINE COUNTRY
Pacific Island Air Fiji
Waterfront Air Hong Kong
SpiceJet India
Jal Hans India
Kerala Seaplane India
Maldivian Maldives
Trans Maldivian Airways Maldives
Air Juan Philippines
Subic Seaplane Philippines
Millennium Airlines Sri Lanka
Seawings United Arab Emirates

What is a seaplane?

Seaplane icon

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.


How do seaplanes work?

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.


Search and book seaplane flights

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.

Seaplane
Destinations

Seaplane landing in water surrounded by trees

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

Seaplane Flight
FAQs

Are seaplanes safe?

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.

Can seaplanes land on land?

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

Can seaplanes land on any body of water?

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.