TEST FLIGHTS for Ireland’s first seaplane service took place in Cork Harbour yesterday afternoon.
Harbour Flights Ireland has applied for planning permission to set up a landing base in Cobh, Co Cork to run its service having already acquired flight rights at Mountshannon, Co Clare.
Test flights ran yesterday afternoon on Harbour Flights’ four-seater plane.
The company has already acquired six-, nine- and 14-seat planes that it is hoped will be up and running by the end of this year.
A spokesman for Harbour Flights said planning was lodged in Cork about six weeks ago and is progressing smoothly so far. Currently, the only other city in Europe that has seaplane flights is Glasgow.
Harbour Flights hopes to open up all of the lakes, waterways and estuaries nationally. It also plans to align the operations to hotels around the country. Initially, the company will be operating a Cessna 172 plane and a Cessna 206. By 2012 the company plans to add a Cessna 208 to the fleet and by 2013, a 19-seat De Havilland Twin Otter.