Today, 31 January 2021, the seaplane - model DHC-6 Twin Otter made its first ditching at 12:45 on the island of Tenerife. "The seaplane returns to the Canary Islands after 65 years, seeking to be an alternative to inter-island transport, favouring social cohesion in the archipelago", says Surcar Airlines, the airline in charge of this project. They founded this initiative with the aim of improving connectivity between the islands with a faster transport - 30 minutes between Santa Cruz, La Palma and Gran Canaria -, with more agile security controls and more sustainable - saving up to 30% in emissions just by avoiding trips to the airport.
The first operations, which will start next autumn, will focus on the islands mentioned above, and will target a niche customer base of business travellers and some weekend tourist passengers. These groups will account for an estimated 15,000 passengers per year.