A NEW air link is to be established between Galway and Dublin using seaplanes. The announcement by Harbour Flights Ireland comes less than a week after Aer Arann said it was pulling the plug on its three daily flights between Dublin and Galway as State subsidies were being withdrawn.
The Government had been providing almost €1 million a year under the public service obligation scheme for flights between Dublin and Galway but that funding is being discontinued from June.
The company behind the project hopes to have the service in place by September, with flights operating from the Poolbeg marina on the Liffey to Galway harbour.
According to the managing director of Harbour Flights Ireland, Emelyn Heaps, flight time between Dublin and Galway using the seaplanes will be 40 minutes.
“While we are sorry to see Aer Arann’s decision to halt the Galway to Dublin service, it is a boost to our plans, which we have been planning for the past four years,” said Mr Heaps.
“We hope to be in a position to launch the route in September.
“Flying directly from and to the city centres will reduce the travel time and all the waiting around in airports,” he added. “The whole journey could be done in a matter of minutes. We won’t have customs and we won’t have security clearance so passengers can arrive five minutes before the flight without worrying.”
The scheme will be subject to approval from the Irish Aviation Authority. Harbour Flights Ireland also plans to introduce seaplane flights between Galway and Limerick and the Aran Islands.