By Dermot Keys

Harbour Flights have applied for a foreshore licence in Galway Harbour as part of their plans to introduce a chartered and scheduled seaplane service that will link Galway City with destinations throughout the island.

The application will pave the way for an ambitious new seaplane service that will fly tourists and other passengers in and out of the Galway Docks. The company plans to provide flights from Galway to the likes of Dublin, Limerick and the Aran Islands and to establish 11 bases across the country.

Harbour Flights will initially be landing a De Havilland Otter and a Twin Otter in Galway, once approval from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is granted.

The application for a foreshore lease includes details of a 32m long floating pontoon, an 18m gangway and gate housing that will be used to allow passengers to embark and disembark.

Harbour Flights will be targeting a tourist market with their service and the seaplane will be capable of carrying 16 passengers at a time. The application envisages that up to 10 flights per day will land in Galway during the summer, with flights only operating during daytime hours. Planes will be able to operate at all tides.

The company will be the first company to introduce a commercial sea plane operation into Ireland.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.