By the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, it could be possible to take a Seaglider from Auckland to Marsden Point in just 35 minutes. Video / Regent Craft
You could be able to take a “Seaglider” from Auckland to Marsden Point in just 35 minutes by late 2025 or early 2026.
The all-electric Seaglider is part ferry, part plane, and designed to skim 10m above the water.
It will be manufactured by Regent, a US startup that’s backersinclude billionaires Peter Thiel and Mark Cuban.
An NZ startup called Ocean Flyer, owned by Napier businessman Shah Aslam, says it will raise $700 million to bring a fleet of 25 Seagliders to New Zealand.
Overnight, Aslam’s plan edged a step closer as Ocean Flyer signed a memorandum of understanding with Northport and Northland Inc.
The agreement with Northport covers the design and development of the infrastructure needed to operate an Ocean Flyer service from Whangārei.
What will it cost?
Northport is part-owned by the Northland Regional Council, and part-owned by the Port of Tauranga. Ratepayers and shareholders will be wondering: How much are we on the hook for?
If Auckland’s ferry electrification project is any guide, fast chargers could be one of the big ticket items (Auckland Transport has earmarked $30m for industrial-strength chargers on wharves).
There will be no answer at an MoU ceremony, scheduled for later today.
“It’s too early in the piece to be putting numbers to this. The Ocean Flyer-Northport MoU talks about exploring options around design and development of the infrastructure,” Northport spokesman Peter Heath told the Herald.
“Once these options are developed, weighed and negotiated between the parties – that’s when we’ll be close to being able to talk numbers.”
Ocean Flyer operations manager and Air Force veteran John Hamilton (left) and owner Shah Aslam with the new electric Seaglider aircraft on screen. Photo / Warren Buckland
Aslam, who also owns Air Napier, earlier told the Herald that Ocean Flyer has put deposits down with Regent for 10 of its 100-seater model and 15 of its 12-seaters. All will have a human pilot.
A prototype had a successful test flight in the US late last year.
Aslam pitches them as a boon after a natural disaster like a cyclone takes out other travel options.
That $700m?
First, Ocean Flyer must find the funds to buy the seaplanes.
This morning, marketing manager Arsel Aslam told the Herald that was “a work in progress”.
“The signing of this MoU marks a huge step forward in the journey to getting Seagliders airborne from a capital, infrastructure, certification and operations point of view,” Aslam added.
“Asset finance starts kicking in once the Seagliders are ready for delivery, every year from mid-decade.”
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is technology editor and a senior business writer.
