Founded | August 2007 [1] [2] |
---|---|
Type | Private |
Industry | Tourism |
Founder | Stuart Wheeler [3] |
Industry | Tourism |
Headquarters | Dubai |
Branches | India, Kosovo |
Subsidiaries | Seawings Lifestyle [4] |
Website | Seawings.ae Seawingslifestyle.com |
Seawings [5] [6] [7] is an experiential seaplane tour operator based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The company was established in August 2007 [7] and provides scenic aerial experiences, sightseeing tours and private seaplane charters to destinations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Muscat, Oman. Its services include scenic flights, customized excursions, golf, day trips, short sightseeing flights, corporate packages and exclusive aircraft charters [8] to over 25 destinations within the UAE and Oman. [7]
Seawings Beyond is a brand of Seawings launched in 2018, offering day and overnight excursions and holidays by private seaplane to fuse scenic flights with luxury experiences to the mountains, beaches and desert island reserves like Sir Bani Yas Island and Zaya Nurai Island.
Seawings fleet consists of five Cessna 208 Caravan seaplanes, each of which seat 9 guests and a pilot. They take off from multiple operating sites in the United Arab Emirates and Oman including Port Rashid, with other operational locations in Jebel Ali, Dubai Creek, Yas Marina and Marjan Island.
The Seawings seaplane services and maintenance are operated and managed by Jet Ops FZE, [9] a Dubai-based company and holder of a UAE air operator's certificate. Jet-Ops FZE is owned by Air Charter International Arabia LTD, a leading aviation management company providing aircraft leasing, aircraft management and charter services. Air Charter International Arabia LTD has been operating from Dubai since 1994.
Seaplanes have always celebrated the pinnacle of luxury travel. In the 1930s, the flying boats resembled a gentleman's club in the sky. Passengers would be accommodated in a club type cabin and would always be dressed for the occasion. Rising early each morning they would join their flying boat for each sector of their long journey. Each night would be spent in an exotic location from Europe, to Egypt to Dubai Creek and thence to India and Australia.
Aviation began in Dubai in 1937, when the first Imperial Airways flying boat, operating a weekly service between the UK and Pakistan, landed on the Dubai Creek. From 1940 to 1950, the Horseshoe Route from Durban to Sydney via the Persian Gulf was established. By the end of 1944, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was operating 8 flying boats a week. January 1947 saw the last of the ‘C’ class, Short Empire flying boats operating the Horseshoe route through Khartoum, Luxor, Cairo, Kallia (Dead Sea), Habbaniya (Iraq), Basra, Bahrain, Dubai and Jiwani to Karachi.
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy.
Tofino Air is a small Canadian airline offering floatplane service from Tofino, British Columbia. It offers scheduled services, scenic tours, and specialized charters.
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteristics: floatplanes and flying boats; the latter are generally far larger and can carry far more. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are in a subclass called amphibious aircraft, or amphibians. Seaplanes were sometimes called hydroplanes, but currently this term applies instead to motor-powered watercraft that use the technique of hydrodynamic lift to skim the surface of water when running at speed.
Helijet International is a helicopter airline and charter service based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Its scheduled passenger helicopter airline services operates flights from heliports at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), downtown Vancouver, downtown Nanaimo and downtown Victoria. It also operates a charter division serving the film, television, aerial tour, industrial and general helicopter and corporate jet charter markets, as well as helicopter and jet air ambulance services. Its head office and main hangar is Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
Harbour Air Seaplanes is a scheduled floatplane service, tour and charter airline based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The predominantly seaplane airline specializes in routes between Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Sechelt, Comox, Whistler and the Gulf Islands, primarily with de Havilland Canada floatplanes. Harbour Air operates de Havilland Beavers, Otters and Twin Otters.
Airlines of Tasmania, commercially known by the name Par Avion is a regional airline based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It operates scheduled services across a number of locations in Tasmania. Par Avion also operates a wide variety of charter services ranging from business, scenic flights into Tasmania's South West, group charter and leisure. Par Avion owns and operates Cambridge Aerodrome, a flying training school which is affiliated with the University of Tasmania and a tourism business into the Southwest National Park of Tasmania, including day and overnight trips in Bathurst Harbour.
The Dornier Seastar is a turboprop-powered amphibious aircraft built largely of composite materials. Developed by Claudius Dornier Jr of Germany, it first flew in 1984. The design is owned by Claudius Jr's son, Conrado, who founded Dornier Seawings AG to continue work on the project after two previous firms, Claudius Dornier Aircraft and Dornier Composite Aircraft, both went into bankruptcy. Development of the aircraft was put on hold without any production Seastars being completed in 1991.
Bournemouth Airport is an international airport located 3.5 NM north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England. The site opened as RAF Hurn in 1941, but was transferred to civil control in 1944. For a short period Hurn served as London's international airport, until the opening of facilities at Heathrow. Commercial services resumed in the late 1950s, with Palmair commencing flights to Palma, Majorca in October 1958.
Grand Canyon Airlines is a 14 CFR Part 135 air carrier headquartered on the grounds of Boulder City Municipal Airport in Boulder City, Nevada, United States. It also has bases at Grand Canyon National Park Airport and Page Municipal Airport, both in Arizona. It operates sightseeing tours and charter service over and around the Grand Canyon. Its headquarters and main operation center is Grand Canyon National Park Airport and Boulder City Municipal Airport. The company slogan is With Grand Canyon Airlines, Your Memories are Cleared for Takeoff!
Pacific Island Air is an Air Charter company operating out of Nadi International Airport, Fiji.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was formed by the decree number 17 for the year 2005.
Eastern SkyJets was a charter airline, with full infrastructure based at Dubai International Airport, and Ras Al Khaima airport.
VistaJet is a global business aviation company founded in 2004 by Thomas Flohr. The firm flies between any two points, under a "pay for hours flown" fare structure.
Air Whitsunday is a charter airline based in Australia that operates a fleet of seaplanes. The company also operates tours.
Salt Air is a New Zealand charter airline based at Paihia in the Bay of Islands, in the Northland Region of the North Island.
Te Anau Airport, Manapouri serves the towns of Te Anau and Manapouri. It is not to be confused with the former and now closed Te Anau Aerodrome located just south of that town.
Rose Bay Water Airport, also known as Sydney Water Airport, is a water airport located in the Sydney suburb of Rose Bay, New South Wales, Australia. It is eight kilometres from the city centre and is one of two water airports in Sydney, the other being Palm Beach Water Airport.
Air Auckland was a small airline based at Ardmore Airport in New Zealand. The company is a fixed-wing and CAA part 135 air operator that offers flight services including regular flights to Whitianga and Great Barrier Island.
Sydney Seaplanes is a domestic and charter carrier in and around Sydney and is the largest seaplane operator in Australia, operating hundreds of flights a week during the peak tourist season. Founded in August 2006 with one aircraft, Sydney Seaplanes has grown in direct response to the growing incoming Asian tourist markets and the leisure VIP market.