18 Dec 2020
A new Aussie airline took flight on Tuesday from Sydney’s Rose to Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin for the first time to demonstrate its unique offering.
Operated by Sydney Seaplanes, Alt Air plans to launch scheduled flights to more than 10 regional NSW destinations from the second half of 2021, beginning with flights from Sydney Harbour to Palm Beach, Newcastle and Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin.
Using a seaplane, Alt Air has managed to reduce overall journey times for most travellers due to convenient take-off and landing locations combined with onboarding and disembarkation timeframes of approximately 10 minutes each.
Alt Air will shave off up to four hours travel time for a typical business or government traveller on a return trip to Canberra, with three scheduled return flights planned on weekdays and two on weekends.
Sydney Seaplanes pilots Andrew Gross and Nicholas Bone celebrate their smooth landing at Lake Burley Griffin.
IT was an inauspicious take off for the groundbreaking first seaplane to drop its wheels on Lake Burley Griffin.
The initial demonstration from the Sydney Seaplanes headquarters at Rose Bay on Tuesday to showcase the proposed daily commercial venture wasn’t quite what was sold to the enthusiastic throng waiting on land in Canberra.
The flight was instead forced to detour from the unscheduled Bankstown Airport, blamed on the inclement weather in the morning that surrounded Sydney’s harbour.
Sydney Seaplanes chief executive Aaron Shaw had to admit the route didn’t go to plan after wary observers spotted flight track radars departing 30 kilometres west of Rose Bay.
For the first time a seaplane has landed on Canberra s Lake Burley Griffin.
The flight is part of a trial of commuter flights between the two cities, an idea emerging out of the pandemic.
It s an hour from Sydney Harbour to Lake Burley Griffin via seaplane.(9News)
National Capital Authority Chair Terry Weber said the plane would see the linking of two water icons .
After the first successful flight Mr Weber said the NCA would carry out full consultation in order to make the scenic plan a reality for passengers. We will start the consultation process in the new year. everybody will be heard and we ll see if this can happen .