Starting in 2022’s fall, Spain will have a new airline, operating with a fleet composed entirely of seaplanes. The name of the new carrier is Surcar Airlines, and it will operate in the Canary Islands.

What do we know about Surcar Airlines?

Surcar Airlines will be an airline that operates solely in the Canary Islands. The plan is to have up to 15,000 passengers per year and fly between the main cities in the archipelago, connecting them through flights that last under 30 minutes.

In a statement, Surcar Airlines said that it would use a fleet of seaplanes because they are the best fit to improve the local connectivity, social cohesion, and the development of the islands’ economies.

Surcar Airlines will be able to offer quicker connectivity between the Canary Islands. For instance, it believes it can connect Santa Cruz and Las Palmas in under 30 minutes, with more agile checkpoints. The airline will also cut CO2 emissions by up to 30% because it will reduce the time used to travel by car to the local airports.

The seaplanes have shown their potential to connect people in cities like Copenhagen, Vancouver and Seattle, added Surcar Airlines. In these cities, people have been using seaplanes for over 30 years.

Behind the new airline, there are investments by the local government and the Danish carrier Nordic Seaplanes.

Nordic Seaplanes is the only airline in Europe that flies with this type of aircraft. According to ch-aviation’s database, Nordic Seaplanes has a fleet of two DHC-6-300 Twin Otter seaplanes, registration HB-LWB and OY-NSA.

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Flight test coming

The new Spanish startup plans to have a flight test on February 3. Surcar Airlines will fly between Santa Cruz and La Palma. The carrier will showcase “the viability of a Canarian project that wants to revolutionize the transportation system between the islands.”

When the airline launches operations, it would mainly operate the routes Santa Cruz de Tenerife-La Palma and Santa Cruz de Tenerife-Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Surcar Airlines’ flying public would be business travelers looking to save time over money flying between the islands.

As reported by journalist, Mikel Alcázar, host of the Spanish aviation podcast Aerovía, there is another seaplane initiative in the Balearic Islands, Isla Air Express. This company would also rely on the DHC-6-300 Twin Otter seaplanes to connect the islands.

Silhouette Passengers Binter
Binter Canarias recently upped its network, including expanding its African network. Photo: Getty Images.

Looking at the connectivity in the Canary Islands

Currently, there are 4,226 scheduled flights between the eight airports in the Canary Islands, according to Cirium. The airlines flying these routes are Neos, Binter Canarias, Canary Fly, Canarias Airlines, Transavia, and TUIfly.

Compared to January 2020 levels, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are 19.7% fewer flights. There are 19.0% fewer seats available, as well.

The region’s main route connects Tenerife and La Palma, with 498 scheduled flights. It is followed by La Palma-Lanzarote, with 482 flights planned throughout January 2022. La Palma-Fuerteventura also has over 400 scheduled flights.

Binter Canarias is the leading operator in the region, with over 800 scheduled flights, followed by Canarias Airlines (695) and Canary Fly (434).

According to ch-aviation, Binter Canarias has a fleet of 29 aircraft, composed entirely of ATR 72-500, 72-600, and Embraer E190-400 units. Canarias Airlines has 12 ATR 72-600, and Canary Fly has six ATR 72-500 planes (including two freighters).

Would you be interested in flying onboard a seaplane in the Canary Islands? Let us know in the comments below.