On January 31st, Surcar Airlines, the first Spanish seaplane airline in the country, are carrying out their first test flight in the Canary Islands between the ports of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Palma, to demonstrate “the viability of a Canarian project that aims to revolutionize inter-island transport”.
Surcar Airlines plans to reintroduce the use of seaplanes in Spain from next autumn for the first time since the 1950s, with flights in the Canary Islands aimed at a potential of 15,000 passengers, which would link the capitals of the archipelago in journeys of around 30 minutes. Surcar is an airline with a majority of Canarian capital, authorized by the ZEC and created with the participation of Nordic Seaplanes, the only operator in Europe, with a regular line in Denmark.
It is a very exciting project for the entire team, because creating new experiences is always motivating, but above all it is the capacity that this entails bringing our islands closer together.
Miguel Ángel González, director of Surcar
According to their press release, they purpose is to improve connectivity between the islands with faster times of just 30 minutes between Santa Cruz and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with more agile and more sustainable security controls, and will save up to 30% in emissions simply not having to land at the airport.
The launch of Surcar is accompanied by a new regulation for this type of activity by the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), and a technical report commissioned from INTA, an organization belonging to the Ministry of Defense, in which it analyses: “The use of passenger seaplanes in the ports of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Safety and effects on port traffic”.
The first operations, which they aim to start in the autumn, will focus on the Santa Cruz de Tenerife-La Palma and Santa Cruz de Tenerife-Las Palmas de Gran Canaria routes, and will target a consumer niche focused on the business traveller, who prioritizes time over price, and tourist passengers during the weekends, estimated to be around 15,000 passengers per year.
“It is a very exciting project for the entire team, because creating new experiences is always motivating, but above all it is the capacity that this entails bringing our islands closer together,” says Miguel Ángel González, director of Surcar, who also mentions the special support that has been received by the port authorities, who “at all times have shown their commitment to the project”.
