Loch Lomond Seaplanes
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| Founded | 2004 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Glasgow Seaplane Terminal, Loch Lomond | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 2 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Scotland | ||||||
| Website |
www | ||||||
Loch Lomond Seaplanes is an airline based in Scotland. After receiving approval from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and Clydeport to launch services from Glasgow Seaplane Terminal, by Glasgow's Science Centre on the River Clyde in Glasgow city centre[1] its maiden scheduled service from Glasgow to Oban began in August 2007, making it Europe's first city centre seaplane service[2] and to date, still the only one. It is Scotland and the United Kingdom's first commercial seaplane service[3] Loch Lomond Seaplanes Ltd holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type B Operating Licence, it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with fewer than 20 seats and/or weighing less than 10 tonnes.[4] It also has a base outside the hotel Cameron House, Loch Lomond, hence the operator's name. Their aircraft have featured on British television several times, including on BBC's Countryfile, ITV's Emmerdale and NBC's Running Wild starring Bear Grylls and Ben Stiller
History
Loch Lomond Seaplanes began operations in April 2004 with a new amphibious Cessna T206H, registration G-OLLS, and is licensed as an airline under the UK Civil Aviation Authority with Air Operator's Certificate 2252. The first base was inside the newly formed Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park which led to legal wranglings with the council but Loch Lomond Seaplanes were finally granted permission to use the area. Initially flights were only for tourist/pleasure purposes but in 2007 scheduled flights were established. Loch Lomond Seaplanes took delivery of the UK's first Amphibious Cessna 208 Caravan, registration G-MDJE, in June 2007. In August 2007, Mr Stewart Stevenson MSP, The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change opened the new £125,000 Loch Lomond Seaplanes’ Glasgow Seaplane Terminal on the River Clyde beside the Glasgow Science Centre on Pacific Quay. The company was then able to launch its first scheduled service to Oban Bay. Since then the company has frequently been recognised as a top tourist attraction, and topped various polls of the sort.
Services
Currently the airline operates tour and charter flights, as well as regular flights around the west coast of Scotland, with a two times a day service from Glasgow to Oban which operates from November to February, and Glasgow to Tobermory, Mull. The Glasgow to Mull service was launched in April 2008.[5]
Fleet
The Loch Lomond Seaplanes fleet includes the following aircraft (at January 2012):[6][7]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
Routes | Registration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 208 Caravan | 2 | 9 | All routes | G-MDJE | G-DLAK |
| Cessna T206H | 1 | 5 | Unknown | G-OLLS (Back to Lessor) | |
| Total | 2 | 14 | ' |
See also
References
- ↑ Airliner World, February 2007
- ↑ stv News report on Clyde service launch
- ↑ Loch Lomond Seaplanes website retrieved 3 February 2007
- ↑ UK CAA - Operating Licence Holders
- ↑ stv News report - Loch Lomond Seaplanes new service launch, April 2008
- ↑
- ↑ "Directory: World Airlines Part 2 (C-L)". Flight International: 31–80. 2009-04-07.
- Airliner World UK & Ireland Airlines Guide 2011-2012, page 19
- Companies House Company Number SC243178